New Spotify update could upset users of the service

What the new privacy policy essentially shows is that users can’t actually expect to have privacy while using the service and Spotify has no qualms about blatantly gathering personal information.

Whenever we complain about a new privacy policy on the Internet it always feel a little hypocritical, because while we’ll bemoan a site for infringing upon our human rights, we’ll simultaneously hand everything over to Facebook without so much as a second thought.

“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”, the company says in a post attributed to CEO Daniel Ek. Spotify recently released a new privacy policy in relation to that but some limits may have been overstepped.

‘With your permission, we may collect information stored on your mobile device, such as contacts, photos, or media files.

Sounds pretty bad, doesn’t it?

The phrase “with your permission” suggests that the updated service will ask the user for access to specific data stored on their smartphone, rather than just giving Spotify free reign to sift through user’s personal photo albums. It also states that in some parts users should seek agreement from their contacts before sharing their information with Spotify. But why might it want that data in the first place? To be safe, uncheck all these boxes. This is a super common among apps, and will be entirely optional. And in case, it’s hard to imagine any of this will end up registering with Spotify’s user base of 75 million people. Location is used to find trending music in your area.

The Independent has contacted Spotify for comment. Some countries have strict privacy laws, and your contacts’ information may not be yours to share. The company further notes that information about you that is collected from its other service providers and partners isn’t off-limits.

So that really wasn’t that bad, was it?

Spotify also said it may collect sensor data, including information from the accelerometer and other movement sensors and for those using voice commands on their phone, it might collect those too.

Among the new features that Spotify pointed to is Spotify Running, which uses Global Positioning System to measure how fast you’re running. Spotify may be planning to let you add a custom image to your playlists or change your profile pic with your device camera. “This means delivering the flawless recommendations for every moment, and helping you to enjoy, discover and share more music than ever before”, Spotify said in a statement.