(LibertySociety.com) – On January 30, Spotify announced it will start adding content advisory labels to podcasts discussing COVID-19. The move comes in response to the outcry of many musical artists, including Neil Young and Joni Mitchell, over the company’s decision to keep Joe Rogan’s podcast on its platform.
Users and creators called for Spotify to delete some “The Joe Rogan Experience” episodes for allegedly spreading vaccine misinformation.
Some believe the tech giant’s change is the first step toward content suppression, outright censorship, and an affront to freedom. Others, like Prince Harry and the Duchess of Sussex, feel those at Spotify have a responsibility to do what they can to stop misinformation.
BREAKING: @Spotify, caving to communists, will now suppress and damage the reputation of @JoeRogan and other creators by vandalizing covid content with warning labels and links to government-approved material. Expect further Spotify moves towards mass censorship.
— Tom Fitton (@TomFitton) January 30, 2022
The company’s chief executive, Daniel Elk, shared the new platform rules hoping to address the situation fairly for all involved. Although it appears they caved to pressure from artists publicly pulling their music, Spotify recently told the public it has a team of experts reviewing information on the platform and removed more than “20,000 podcast episodes” about the coronavirus since the beginning of 2020.
The new procedure should roll out soon, but there’s no word on whether it will lure any artists back to Spotify.
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