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Spotify to Add COVID-19 Content Advisory Labels Following Rogan Controversy

“It is important to me that we don’t take on the position of being content censor,” CEO Daniel Ek wrote in a public statement.

Hours after the Sussexes called out Spotify for platforming COVID-19 misinformation, which followed luminaries Neil Young and Joni Mitchell pulling their music from the platform in protest, CEO Daniel Ek announced the streaming giant would add advisory labels to some content. “It is important to me that we don’t take on the position of being content censor,” Ek wrote in a public statement, “while also making sure that there are rules in place and consequences for those who violate them.” While declaring that “these issues are incredibly complex,” the Spotify boss acknowledged a failure to be “transparent around the policies that guide our content more broadly,” and so, Ek added, the platform will work to add content advisory labels to podcast episodes with discussions of COVID-19. “Based on the feedback over the last several weeks,” the CEO wrote, “it’s become clear to me that we have an obligation to do more to provide balance and access to widely-accepted information from the medical and scientific communities guiding us through this unprecedented time.” Ek never mentioned comedian Joe Rogan, whose wildly popular podcast—a Spotify exclusive—first sparked the ongoing controversy over misinformation on the streaming platform.