SPOTIFY REINFORCES HATE CONTENT POLICING

Spotify has issued a new Policy on Hate Content and Hateful Conduct, created a new tool to identify hate content and partnered with rights advocacy groups to help deem if content should be removed from the site. The first removal from playlists: R. Kelly.

XXXTentacion is also off playlists.

Spotify has partnered with The Southern Poverty Law Center, The Anti-Defamation League, Color of Change, Showing Up for Racial Justice, GLAAD, Muslim Advocates and the International Network Against Cyber Hate to identify hate content. The new Spotify AudioWatch identifies content that has been flagged as hate content on specific international registers.

In a blog post, the company wrote “we do not tolerate hate content on Spotify—content that expressly and principally promotes, advocates, or incites hatred or violence against a group or individual based on characteristics, including, race, religion, gender identity, sex, ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, veteran status, or disability.

“When we are alerted to content that violates our policy, we may remove it (in consultation with rights holders) or refrain from promoting or playlisting it on our service. It’s important to us that our values are reflected in all the work that we do, whether it’s distribution, promotion, or content creation.

“At the same time, however, it’s important to remember that cultural standards and sensitivities vary widely. There will always be content that is acceptable in some circumstances, but is offensive in others, and we will always look at the entire context.”

The new policy can be found here.