Spotify forms a Security Advisory Council | ECONOMY

Spotify Technology SA announced Monday that it has formed a Security Advisory Council to provide input on issues such as hate speech, disinformation, extremism and online abuse.

The group represents a further step in Spotify’s efforts to tackle harmful content on its audio streaming service, after the backlash earlier this year against “The Joe Rogan Experience” podcast, whose host was charged. of spreading misinformation about COVID-19.

The group of 18 experts, including representatives from the Washington DC civil rights group, the Center for Democracy and Technology, the University of Gothenburg in Sweden and the Institute for Technology and Society in Brazil, will advise Spotify in product and policy development and in thinking about emerging issues.

“The idea is to bring in these world-renowned experts, many of whom have been in this space for several years, to engage with,” said Dustee Jenkins, Spotify’s global head of public affairs.

“And to make sure that you don’t talk to them when we’re in the middle of a situation … Instead, we meet with them quite regularly, so we can be much more proactive about how we’re thinking about these issues in all the company”.

The advice is purely advisory in nature, and Spotify may accept or reject its advice. Unlike Facebook’s oversight board, which decides which cases it reviews, Spotify will present issues for its board to consider and provide input.

Sarah Hoyle, Spotify’s chief trust and safety officer, said the advisory council was not formed in reaction to “any particular creator or situation,” but rather in recognition of the challenges of operating a global service at a time when threats are constantly evolving.

“We can build on the internal expertise that we already have at Spotify, to tap into these people whose life’s work has been studying this, and they’re on the ground in markets around the world, just like our users, just like our creators,” Hoyle said.

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