[All Platforms][Your Library] Explain “Inferences” file in Downloaded Spotify data

[atemporality]

I downloaded my Spotify data out of curiosity but what are these Inferences? Specially *-seed and 1P_Social Streamers_Narrow?

{

  "inferences": [

    "1P_Custom_T-Mobile_Switchers",

    "1P_Custom_iPhone_11_Users_Global",

    "1P_Podcast Listeners_True Crime",

    "1P_Social Streamers_Narrow",

    "Aries - super kritical-seed",

    "Gimlet - Reply All",

    "Hillsong Worship 11/20 Auto - Audience-seed",

    "Mxmtoon - super kritical-seed",

    "Mxmtoon - tiered kritical-seed",

    "The Midnight - Audience-seed",

    "illenium_mau_no_followers",

    "rfv01-seed",

    "rfvsm-seed"

  ]

}

[maxwow2]

+ 2 from me:

"1P_Custom_Samsung_Lapsed"

"Cookie_Synced_Audience_60D"

That's fun:

"illenium_mau_no_followers" 😄

[icosopoena]

At https://support.spotify.com/uk/article/understanding-my-data/ it provides the following general explanation on what Inferences are:
"We draw certain inferences about your interests and preferences based on your usage of the Spotify service and using data obtained from our advertisers and other advertising partners. This includes a list of market segments with which you are currently associated. Depending on your settings, this data may be used to serve interest-based advertising to you within the Spotify service."
I recognize that you are asking for Spotify to elaborate on the specific criteria behind each inference - they are not likely to share this.

As a consolation prize, here are the inferences from my file not yet mentioned to add to the collection:
"1P_Custom_Discovery_Streamers"
"1P_Custom_Passionate_Curators"
"1P_Custom_Wrapped2019"
"Recaptcha_scores_filtered"
"1P_Custom_iPhone_11_Users"
Note that the last one is similar but distinct from one of those listed by the OP.

[suoarski]

I work for a data brokerage firm specializing in advertising and also downloaded my Spotify data out of curiosity. We receive very similar tags in the mobile data that we buy, and use them to build marketing audiences. Advertisers can then pick and chose which audience they want to target their advertisements too.

We also use tags like this as machine learning features, informing our models whenever we want to predict something about the user (Eg: Income, Who's a potential high spender of our customers products/services...). We are aware that tags like these are not always 100% accurate, but the accuracy is good enough for targeted advertising or statistical methods.

I can only speculate on how Spotify uses this data, but looking at Spotify's privacy policy, "Usage Data" includes:

 - Inferences

 - your use of third party services

 - Plenty more (Browsing history, interactions with other Spotify users... etc)

And "Usage Data" is shared with:

 - Advertising partners

 - Marketing Partners

 - Hosting Platforms

 - Academic researchers

 - Law enforcement and other authorities

[icosopoena]

Thanks for sharing. You said "...whenever we want to predict something about the user..." - does this mean that your firm is able to purchase individual user data, and not just aggregated data? And if so, is it anonymized?

Yours is a very interesting field. I once interviewed at Acxiom, but it never went anywhere.

[suoarski]

Yes, we do purchase individual user data and it's not anonymized. The country we operate in has some fairly relaxed laws about it. We are aware that our work wouldn't comply with European GDPR laws, working in other countries would complicate things and so we only operate in our country, refusing to accept any personal data of people outside our country.

This approach gives us a competitive edge over tech giants, who have to deal with international laws, something we don't have to deal with, and so there are services we can offer that they can't. Tech giants also don't want to sell or share their user data to stay competitive, avoid controversies and so smaller data brokerage firms exist to fill in that void in the market.

Personally I am planning to leave this industry, as I want a career in which I can be proud of the things I build (this isn't it). I don't think any of this will stop unless there are meaningful changes to our laws, if I don't do the work then someone else will. At least when I do the work I have gained reputation to inform the public about what is happening.

[icosopoena]

Fascinating (and kinda frustrating to read), thanks for your thorough answer. Respect for your plans to move into another industry - I get that walking away from a position you've been at for a while where you're comfortable and receive decent pay is not easy. Good fortune to you, mate.