Spotify's New privacy policy

[Tijoy]

Arctile: http://www.wired.com/2015/08/cant-squat-spotifys-eerie-new-privacy-policy/

 

Privacy Policy: https://www.spotify.com/us/legal/privacy-policy/?version=1.0.0-GB

 

Spotify's new privacy policy seems anything but that, it wants to go into your phone to gather information on your contacts, photos, and media files.

 

 

3.3 Information Stored on Your Mobile Device

With your permission, we may collect information stored on your mobile device, such as contacts, photos, or media files. Local law may require that you seek the consent of your contacts to provide their personal information to Spotify, which may use that information for the purposes specified in this Privacy Policy.

 

 

4 How we use the information we collect

We may use the information we collect, including your personal information:

1. to provide, personalise, and improve your experience with the Service and products, services, and advertising (including for third party products and services) made available on or outside the Service (including on other sites that you visit), for example by providing customised, personalised, or localised content, recommendations, features, and advertising on or outside of the Service;
2. to ensure technical functionality of the Service, develop new products and services, and analyse your use of the Service, including your interaction with applications, advertising, products, and services that are made available, linked to, or offered through the Service;
3. to communicate with you for Service-related or research purposes including via emails, notifications, text messages, or other messages, which you agree to receive;
4. to communicate with you, either directly or through one of our partners, for marketing and promotional purposes via emails, notifications, or other messages, consistent with any permissions you may have communicated to us (e.g., through your Spotify account settings); in the section Your preferences below, we inform you of the controls you can use to opt out from receiving certain messages;
5. to, with your permission, use your mobile phone number to send you informational, marketing and promotional text messages using an automatic dialing system; you are not required to provide consent as a condition of signing up for Spotify’s services;
6. to enable and promote the Service and other services or products, either within or outside the Service, including features and content of the Service and products and services made available through the Service;
7. to process your payment or prevent or detect fraud;
8. to enforce this Privacy Policy, the Terms and Conditions of Use, and any other terms that you have agreed to, including to protect the rights, property, or safety of Spotify, its users, or any other person, or the copyright-protected content of the Service;
9. to provide you with features, information, advertising, or other content which is influenced by your location and your location in relation to other Spotify users; and
10. as otherwise stated in this Privacy Policy.

 

 

Update curtosy of atrash:https://news.spotify.com/us/2015/08/21/sorry-2/

                                      

 

 

 

A blog post by Spotify CEO Daniel Ek

We are in the middle of rolling out new terms and conditions and privacy policy and they’ve caused a lot of confusion about what kind of information we access and what we do with it. We apologize for that. We should have done a better job in communicating what these policies mean and how any information you choose to share will – and will not – be used.

We understand people’s concerns about their personal information and are 100 percent committed to protecting our users’ privacy and ensuring that you have control over the information you share.

So let me try and clear things up.

In our new privacy policy, we indicated that we may ask your permission to access new types of information, including photos, mobile device location, voice controls, and your contacts. Let me be crystal clear here: If you don’t want to share this kind of information, you don’t have to. We will ask for your express permission before accessing any of this data – and we will only use it for specific purposes that will allow you to customize your Spotify experience.

Photos: We will never access your photos without explicit permission and we will never scan or import your photo library or camera roll. If you give us permission to access photos, we will only use or access images that you specifically choose to share. Those photos would only be used in ways you choose and control – to create personalized cover art for a playlist or to change your profile image, for example.

Location: We will never gather or use the location of your mobile device without your explicit permission. We would use it to help personalize recommendations or to keep you up to date about music trending in your area. And if you choose to share location information but later change your mind, you will always have the ability to stop sharing.

Voice: We will never access your microphone without your permission. Many people like to use Spotify in a hands-free way, and we may build voice controls into future versions of the product that will allow you to skip tracks, or pause, or otherwise navigate the app. You will always have the ability to disable voice controls.

Contacts: We will never scan or import your contacts without your permission. Spotify is a social platform and many people like to share playlists and music they discover with their friends. In the future, we may want to give you the ability to find your friends on Spotify by searching for Spotify users in your contacts if you choose to do that.

Sharing: The Privacy Policy also mentions advertisers, rights holders and mobile networks. This is not new. With regard to mobile networks, some Spotify subscribers sign up through their mobile provider, which means some information is shared with them by necessity. We also share some data with our partners who help us with marketing and advertising efforts, but this information is de-identified – your personal information is not shared with them.

Again, we have heard your concerns loud and clear. We are also going to update the new Privacy Policy in the coming weeks to better reflect what we have explained above. If you have any questions or concerns, please let us know by emailing us at privacycomments@spotify.com We’re listening to you and we take your concerns very seriously.

Daniel

TLDR: It's all opt-in. If you choose to opt-in, the permissions will be used to unlock neat features in Spotify like recommendations based on where you’re listening to music and “personalized cover art” based on photos you share with Spotify.

[Bob Jim]

'With your permission'

[minibois]

yaaaaaay, now Spotify will collect our personal data too :D

/s

[Guest]

As if other companies didn't know that already

[Zeke]

Just take nudes with DSLR, how hard can it be?

[Guest]

Just take nudes with DSLR, how hard can it be?

The real question is, how hard can you be?

[Zeke]

The real question is, how hard can you be?

[Albatross]

They said "with your permission". They are doing it right.

[MG2R]

This is why I always advice people to not just accept the application permissions that are prompted. Most people just don't think twice though.

 

 

 

They said "with your permission". They are doing it right.

'With your permission'

Problem is that often (and I don't know if Spotify does this specifically), there is no option anymore to disable the application permissions. It's either accept everything (data collection which has nothing to do with streaming music included) or don't use the app. My choice always goes out to "don't use the app", but average joe wouldn't even think before mashing the accept button.

[Albatross]

This is why I always advice people to not just accept the application permissions that are prompted. Most people just don't think twice though.

 

 

 

Problem is that often (and I don't know if Spotify does this specifically), there is no option anymore to disable the application permissions. It's either accept everything (data collection which has nothing to do with streaming music included) or don't use the app. My choice always goes out to "don't use the app", but average joe wouldn't even think before mashing the accept button.

 

Well I would assume since they state a user can decide, they would allow it. And if they didn't, okay, then that's a problem.

 

edit

 

yea, that's true, but they really shouldn't mash buttons to begin with. haha

[Murdoch]

to, with your permission, use your mobile phone number to send you informational, marketing and promotional text messages using an automatic dialing system; you are not required to provide consent as a condition of signing up for Spotify’s services;

 

Yeah, fuck that spotify.

[RuffRuffmcgruff]

It was good while it lasted, now what's the next one going to be ?

[Mushious]

They said "with your permission". They are doing it right.

 

This is why I always advice people to not just accept the application permissions that are prompted. Most people just don't think twice though.

 

 

 

Problem is that often (and I don't know if Spotify does this specifically), there is no option anymore to disable the application permissions. It's either accept everything (data collection which has nothing to do with streaming music included) or don't use the app. My choice always goes out to "don't use the app", but average joe wouldn't even think before mashing the accept button.

 

The "permission" they request is at the time of installing the app or updating to the latest version. You don't get a choice if you want to use the service.

[Murdoch]

This is why I always advice people to not just accept the application permissions that are prompted. Most people just don't think twice though.

 

Problem is that often (and I don't know if Spotify does this specifically), there is no option anymore to disable the application permissions. It's either accept everything (data collection which has nothing to do with streaming music included) or don't use the app. My choice always goes out to "don't use the app", but average joe wouldn't even think before mashing the accept button.

 

Indeed, Android kinda annoys me in that respect. Especially given that Google integrated AppOpps into Android from version 4.3+ but then removed access to it, unless you root your phone.

 

For anybody that truly gives a crap about stuff like this, root your Android phone, install the Xposed installer, and use the AppOppsXposed and Xprivacy modules, it gives you full control over exactly what apps have access to.

 

 

It was good while it lasted, now what's the next one going to be ?

 

A great option is a "do it yourself" approach, Madsonic, or Subsonic servers are great if you already have a personal collection of digital music, and want to be able to stream it on the move.

[Albatross]

The "permission" they request is at the time of installing the app or updating to the latest version. You don't get a choice if you want to use the service.

 

What do you mean by "...want to use the service"? If you are asked when installing or updating to the latest version if you want to enable or disable the feature, that's a choice.

[Murdoch]

What do you mean by "...want to use the service"? If you are asked when installing or updating to the latest version if you want to enable or disable the feature, that's a choice.

 

He's saying the permission (they speak of) means either accepting the Eula (on windows), or accepting the permissions on Android. That is to say, there will be no option within the app for this, it's either accept the terms, or do not use Spotify.

 

Spotify even state that quite clearly, in their privacy policy:

 

If you don't agree with the terms of this Privacy Policy, then please don't use the Service.

[Albatross]

He's saying the permission (they speak of) means either accepting the Eula (on windows), or accepting the permissions on Android. That is to say, there will be no option within the app for this, it's either accept the terms, or do not use Spotify.

 

Spotify even state that quite clearly, in their privacy policy:

 

Ah, I see, thank you for the explanation.

 

 

I certainly hope that isn't the case then.

[ShadowCaptain]

Just take nudes with DSLR, how hard can it be?

 

I use full frame for a nice depth of field

[Rekx]

You can get XPrivacy for Android, if you dont like these permissions

 

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=biz.bokhorst.xprivacy.installer (root needed)

[TroubleKlef]

By permission they mean when you download and install the app.

[MG2R]

You can get XPrivacy for Android, if you dont like these permissions

 

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=biz.bokhorst.xprivacy.installer (root needed)

It's cool that these things are available, but I still hate news like this because average Joe doesn't (want/care to) know about privacy breaches like that.

 

 

I use full frame for a nice depth of field

The only question remaining is how deep your "field" is ;)

[ShadowCaptain]

The only question remaining is how deep your "field" is

 

lets just say, I need a wide angle to fit it in frame

[Rekx]

It's cool that these things are available, but I still hate news like this because average Joe doesn't (want/care to) know about privacy breaches like that.

 

True that.

 

I only found XPrivacy after an app i use for finding bus routes got updated permissions, which enabled it to read my messages and my local storage. 

[Trik'Stari]

This is why I always advice people to not just accept the application permissions that are prompted. Most people just don't think twice though.

 

 

 

Problem is that often (and I don't know if Spotify does this specifically), there is no option anymore to disable the application permissions. It's either accept everything (data collection which has nothing to do with streaming music included) or don't use the app. My choice always goes out to "don't use the app", but average joe wouldn't even think before mashing the accept button.

^This

 

Companies say "with your permission" by assuming that they have permission if you are using their product. Implied consent.

[MG2R]

I only found XPrivacy after an app i use for finding bus routes got updated permissions, which enabled it to read my messages and my local storage. 

See, I hate it when they do that.

 

My sister recently had the same thing going on. I told her to just delete it as it's an invasion of privacy. Her response: "I don't care what they do with that, I have nothing to hide"

 

MFW: