Spotify Privacy Issues - why do you need access to my photos?

[iamben]

Hey guys - care to comment on this Forbes article?

http://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbrewster/2015/08/20/spotify-creepy-privacy-policy/

Why do you need access to:

"we may collect information stored on your mobile device, such as contacts, photos, or media files"

And:

"your phone’s GPS location"

I assume this is for more advertising revenue? Can't you just do the music side better rather than selling everyone out? Why do you need access to my entire life (which I'd rather not share - or at least have the choice to share)?

 
EDIT (for people starting at the top): Spotify CEO Daniel Ek has commented on this here - https://news.spotify.com/us/2015/08/21/sorry-2/

[lostcustomer]

Hey, Spotify,


if you come to your senses, gimme a call... u kept the data anyway I guess, right? I liked you, but I can't support this kind of behavior with my wallet. So it's Good Bye!

[London3D]

Phone up customer support and negotiate with them. I'm having to drop Spotify as I have scans of patent documents and medical details in my image collections. I can't imagine they'll argue with you having to drop Spotify for business reasons.

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@Andehh wrote:
I deeply disagree with the latest terms and conditions, but am half way through a Vodafone contract that I got due to it coming with Spotify.

Now that it looks like I'm leaving Spotify with their latest T&Cs fiasco, I'm trying to see if others have got a reduction in their contract with Vodafone by binning Spotify?

Or.... Swapping Spotify to something like Netflix?

Thanks

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[sondr]

Just cancelled spotify and went to another streaming service. Now I can even use my old surface RT and chromecast devices as music tools 🙂

[kas74]

That's no the thing that you can choose if the interacti whit you ore not. The thing is that they even think that they want to do that is sick. I was thinking to stay as their costumer but no I'm leaving to Appel music service instead.

You my think that you are working on Spotify Bee, that privacy is not a big deal, think twice.

[user-removed]

You could have voiced your words in a mature way, like the others. But no, you had to act like a baby. Let me say this again, they will ask your permission. The TOS asks for your permission, if your are on iOS you can disable location services. If on android, you can download Purify and purify your apps, removing permissions whilst still using your apps.

Will see you later. Have fun.

Your comment is highly inappropiate due to stupidity. Most of the people don't even know about stuff like this or even adblockers.

It's the mass, following, accepting without reading, that forces YOU and EVERYONE else into less privacy, freedom and power of will. Bit by bit by bit.

You cannot swim against the flow. Heck, even Microsoft got into this datacollecting bs. What can you do against that? Stop using all electronic devices and admit that the Amish were right?

[Inyourbo]

As I can understand this now is that the new terms and condidtions only gives SPOTIFY the right to collect data and pic's you have published on SPOTIFY NOT YOUR PRIVATE PHOTOS ON YOUR PHONE OR ELSEWHERE.

This is also the case on Facebook and Linkedin.

So for me this is no big deal anymore.

I will share my location every now and then just to confuse the database.

Keep listening

Hans Enjebo

[broesi]

Dear Spotify,

upon using your app on my mobile device, I have just received a notification about the new privacy terms and conditions. For now, I have not accepted it, you give me a couple of weeks before I can't use Spotify anymore without acceppting the new terms and conditions.

Herewith, I give you two (2) week to provide me with a new set of privacy terms and conditions that deserve this name, otherwise I will cancel my account and switch to one of the other products on the market (there are plenty...).

Thank you for your cooperation,

broesi

[user-removed]

I came here to say this as well. I will not be accepting the new absurd privacy policy. If the policy is not changed, I will be cancelling my long-standing premium account and looking elsewhere for my media needs.

No service provided by Spotify merits this level of data mining or invasion of privacy. You play music... how about sticking to that.

[NeilN]

@Inyourbo - I have no idea how you came up with that interpretation.

"With your permission, we may collect information stored on your mobile device, such as contacts, photos, or media files"

[TeroV]

There is no such restriction in the policy, it states that "With your permission, we may collect information stored on your mobile device, such as contacts, photos, or media files."

This is way too vague, and for example on Windows Phone you either grant the permission or do not install the app. Other mobile OSs allow more flexible management of permissions, but still the permissions are not fine-grained enough. As I see it, you either sign a blank cheque and hope Spotify won't abuse your trust or stop using the service.

[notmydata125]

There need be no debate amongst folks here. The policy is something I do not agree with no matter how much the CEO and others try to sell it as "Music is social, you want to be social dont you!? You want to be cool!" 

With that, the policy states that if you do not agree with said policy please do not use the service, and that is what I am doing today. My account will be canceled tonight to allow me time to gather my playlists and move them to another service. Too many folks these days seem to think its hopeless to try to expect some privacy. I do not use Facebook and any social media I do use is extremely limited because I see very little value in it. Spotify was about music for me, if I wanted to know what a buddy was listening to .. I would ASK them myself.

The policy as stated is FAR to vague and premits a lot of abuse in the name of "features features features!"

[Itessar]

I am sorry, sad to see Spotify go this way. This is not ok guys. You have one week, to correct this obvious blunder on your part regarding the potential invasion of my privacy, after that if the issue still stands I will end my long standing premium account and look elsewhere.

[dirtyred]

I don't know to laugh or cry. Spotify is on a downslope. I'm already angry about not having Spotify on my 2015 Samsung smart TV, but this is a bit too much.

[cmjkeegan]

I've just cancelled by long-standing subscription.

This isn't something Spotify have made a snap-decision about, this is a concious and purposeful change that is, in my view, totally unacceptable.

[user-removed]

Oh dear....just as I was about to ditch Apple Music and come back to Spotify Premium.....

[iThoughYouCared]

I feel so stupid. I actually thought Spotify was focused on music and customer service.

Actually you just want to steel everyone’s data in the name of "helping to improve the service" just like everyone else. And just like everyone else you sneak it into a massive privacy policy update you know nobody reads because life is too short and anyway you’d need to be a lawyer to understand its true meaning. 

_IF_ you had have put up front in big text “We would like access to your photos, contacts and location in order to offer you a better user experience. If you would prefer not grant us access then please press the ‘No access to private content’ button below” then I would have pressed that button and continued paying and using your services. You didn’t.

Bye Bye Spotify. I will never trust you again.

You blew it.

BTW – Given even the US Government can’t keep data safe from hackers, why should anyone believe you won’t leak their photos, contacts and location data one day? There is no such thing as hack proof. The public understands that now. Start working out how to be brilliant and offer fantastic experiences based on the MINIMUM access to data. Increasingly that will be the only way to minimise the risk to businesses of reputational damage.

[spotifyradioapi]

Seriously, access to Photos, Contacts and GPS to play music?

I already give you my actual money for "Premium" so you do not feel incentivized to steal my data like this.

But I guess this is the internet and capitalism, so we can't have nice things.

You utter idiots.

Deezer looks nice, I guess?

EDIT: Just cancelled premium after multiple years & uninstalled the mobile app. F U.

[Archie-Opteryx]

They will have factored in a number of people leaving, so they must think the gains will outweigh the losses. I can't see them reversing this descision, and when I looked at the alternatives there are free tools out there that will migrate playlists, http://sync.spotizr.com for example, so there is nothing to keep me here any more.

[Southpoint]

I went here to make sure this was true. Now that I see that it is true I am out. I am canceling my subscription. Peace

[dirtyred]

Deezer looks nice especially since it's available on 2015 Samsung smart TV's running Tizen OS. Spotify is not. I guess it's time for a change.