Popular music and podcast streaming service Spotify has moved into the spotlight in recent weeks and not for a particularly positive reason.
On Jan. 24, Canadian musician Neil Young announced he would be pulling his catalogue from the service if Spotify continued to stream anti-vaccine, pro-Ivermectin, conspiracy-theorist Joe Rogan's podcast.
Two days later, all of Young's material was removed from the service.
Others followed his lead, including musician Joni Mitchell, podcaster and author Brené Brown, former Bruce Springsteen guitarist Nils Lofgren and actress, podcaster and political activist Sophia Bush.
The ultimatum presented to Spotify by Young has become high-profile, and highlights questions about misinformation and free speech online.
A good majority of podcasts available to stream are created outside of Spotify and the company acts as the aggregator of third-party content. However, Rogan's podcast is touted as a Spotify exclusive, which essentially places the platform in the position of a broadcaster — giving them the responsibility to be hyper-aware of what is being presented to the public under their logo.
The streaming giant has said that it will begin adding a warning to all content that discusses COVID-19 which directs listeners to factual information from medical experts, similar to features implemented by Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
In recent days, more than 70 episodes of Rogan's show were removed from Spotify, after a video of the host using racial slurs began circulating widely.
Rogan not only uses racial slurs, but has also said Ivermectin is the cure for COVID-19, given a space for guests that suggest the pandemic was planned, that vaccine recipients in Australia were HIV-positive after their shot, along with discussions around gene therapy and microchips in association with vaccines.
Streaming services like Spotify are responsible for the content on their platforms and any consequences that come along with it.
Big tech must take accountability for the falsehoods that are being aided and abetted on their platform and act swiftly to combat misinformation in a time when it is more rampant and dangerous than ever.
