Spotify's privacy policy - can you spot the issues?

Spotify released a new privacy policy which is effective immediately.  This new policy allows Spotify to know everything about you.  This is no different to any other apps you download as organisations want to know what you are doing and where you are so they can target you bespoke adverts and offers.  It is recommended you ready privacy policy’s and terms and conditions before downloading any app, including Spotify.  In case you have better things to do and do not have time to review Spotify’s new privacy policy here are some highlights:

Spotify wants to go through your phone

                "With your permission, we may collect information stored on your mobile device,

                such as contacts, photos, or media files"

Just as George Orwell predicted in his 1984 classic, Spotify wants to see and collect your photos and know who you are chatting with.  What kind of media files Spotify will collect from you is vague, and why the company needs it is unclear.

Spotify wants to know where you are going

                "Depending on the type of device that you use to interact with the Service and

                your settings, we may also collect information about your location based on, for

                example, your phone’s GPS location or other forms of locating mobile devices 

                (e.g., Bluetooth). We may also collect sensor data (e.g., data about the speed of 

                your movements, such as whether you are running, walking, or in transit)"

Like the kid who never gets picked for the school sports team or guy never invited to the office party, Spotify feels left out that you are doing things without it.  To stop Spotify being excluded it now wants to know where you are at all times.  If this bother’s you, an easy work around is to switch off GPS on your handset when you do not require it.

As for knowing how fast you are moving, this is for the Spotify Running feature which matches your music to your pace.

Spotify wants to be your friend

                "You may integrate your Spotify account with Third Party Applications. If you do,

                we may receive similar information related to your interactions with the Service on

                the Third Party Application, as well as information about your publicly available 

                activity on the Third Party Application. This includes, for example, your “Like”s

                and posts on Facebook"

This should not be a surprise given the power Facebook can flex on organisations.  If this bothers you or you do not have Facebook, we suggest that you log into your Spotify preferences and disconnect Spotify from your Facebook account.  Facebook is not necessary to use Spotify (unless you want your friends to know you are listening to S Club 7).

What can you do about the new policy?

                "If you don’t agree with the terms of this Privacy Policy, then please don’t use the

                 Service"

That sums it up.  Spotify gives you two options:

 1) stop using Spotify, or

 2) navigate to your Spotify preferences to see what settings you can change.

Trying out the second option will give you these three boxes:

The first two relate to how Spotify contacts you with their news, and the other one relates to third-party sharing.  To be safe, uncheck all these boxes.  Hopefully, by unchecking the last box, your information will be safe from being shared, but it will not stop Spotify from collecting your data in the first place.

Unfortunately, large-scale data collection has become a new norm, and there is less and less we can do about it. If you are using a free service you are likely to be paying with your personal information.