Editors’ note: On Friday, Spotify CEO Daniel EK released a statement apologizing for the vague language in the new privacy policy and clarifying how exactly these permissions will be used. You can read all about that and compare the updated privacy policy against those of other streaming-music apps here.
Spotify released a new privacy policy that is now in effect, and it turns out that the company wants to learn a lot more about you and there’s not much you can do about it.
We encourage everyone to read the whole privacy policy before downloading the update or checking off the “Accept” box, but in case you have better things to do, here are some highlights from it.
Like a jealous ex, Spotify wants to see (and collect) your photos and see who you’re talking to. What kind of media files Spotify will collect from you is vague, and why the company needs it is unclear, but it’s doing it regardless. Also, the fact that Spotify expects you to go through your contact list and ask everyone for their consent in sharing their data with Spotify is–what’s the word? Oh yes: it’s ridiculous.
Perhaps Spotify feels left out that you are hanging out without it, because it wants to know where you are all the time. Additionally, it wants to know how fast you are moving (maybe so it can catch up if you ever try to leave without saying goodbye). Update: As was pointed out in the comments, this is for Spotify Running, a feature announced in May that matches your music to your pace.
It shouldn’t surprise you that if you connect your Spotify account to Facebook, Spotify will be able to see the information you post there. If this bothers you, we suggest that you log into your Spotify preferences and disconnect Spotify from your Facebook account (more information on how to do this can be found here). After all, Facebook isn’t all that necessary to use Spotify (unless, of course, you want your friends to know you’re listening to Owl City).
Sadly, not a whole lot.
So, yeah. Spotify gives you two options: stop using Spotify altogether, or navigate to your Spotify preferences to see what settings you can change. Trying out the second option (go to your Spotify Account, then click “Edit profile” and scroll down) will give you these three boxes:
The first two relate to how Spotify contacts you with company 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 won’t 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 you can do about it. This goes to show that if you are using a free tech service, you’re most likely paying with your personal information.