In a blog post titled “SORRY.” Spotify CEO Daniel Ek has addressed the “confusion” caused by last week’s new privacy policy and clarified what data the music streaming app will and won’t access.
Spotify updated its privacy policy in the UK on Friday, saying users would have their location, sensors, voice and photos accessed by the app, which could then be passed on to its partners.
But Ek says none of this will happen without a user’s “expression permission”, and all information shared with advertising partners will be “de-identified” to avoid disclosing personal information.
“We should have done a better job in communicating what these policies mean and how any information you choose to share will – and will not – be used,” Ek says.
“We understand people’s concerns about their personal information and are 100% committed to protecting our users’ privacy and ensuring that you have control over the information you share.”
He went on to outline how Spotify would use each of the new bits of data it could potentially be accessing.
Photos will be for personalised cover art and profile pictures, locations will be for personalised recommendations, voice is for hands-free functions and contacts will be used to find friends on the app.
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Denham Sadler is a former editor of StartupSmart. He was previously a journalist at the publication and has worked as a freelancer for the Guardian, the Saturday Paper and the ABC. In his spare time he likes puns and jaffles.
