UltraViolet Reacts to Spotify’s Updated Policies on COVID-19 Disinformation, Hate and Misogyny, Calling Its a PR Stunt Over Lack of Commitment to Hold Bad Actors Accountable
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, January 31, 2022
CONTACT: Anna Zuccaro | anna@unbendablemedia.com
UltraViolet Reacts to Spotify’s Updated Policies on COVID-19 Disinformation, Hate and Misogyny, Calling Its a PR Stunt Over Lack of Commitment to Hold Bad Actors Accountable
Group Says Clear Policies Against Disinformation, Hate, Racism, and Misogyny Mean Nothing Unless There is Real Enforcement Against Bad Actors
Group Says “The Joe Rogan Experience” Remains a Dangerous Source of Misinformation on Spotify’s Platform
Over the weekend, Spotify announced slight changes to its policies around content concerning COVID-19, after facing a week of criticism for allowing its creators — particularly podcaster Joe Rogan — to spread misinformation about the pandemic.
In reaction to the announcement, Bridget Todd, creator and host of There Are No Girls on the Internet, a technology and culture podcast that explores the ways women and other traditionally marginalized voices show up online, and communications director at UltraViolet, explained:
“Spotify’s clarification of its policies on COVID-19 disinformation, hate and misogyny are long overdue and welcome starting point – but they mean nothing if the platform refuses to enforce them and hold bad actors like Joe Rogan accountable for violating those policies. Make no mistake, these policies have existed for a while – and have never been enforced to hold Joe Rogan accountable for spreading misinformation about COVID-19 and the vaccine.
“For months, Spotify has empowered Joe Rogan to spread disinformation about COVID-19 and vaccines on his podcast. In providing Rogan a platform, Spotify is tacitly condoning the promotion of Rogan’s baseless, unproven opinions to millions of listeners to dissuade them from a lifesaving vaccine, further worsening a global pandemic that has disproportionately impacted Black women and women of color. Empty promises around existing policy without enforcement mechanisms or accounting for the racialized and gendered impact and harm of disinformation are nowhere close to enough.
“We believe that Spotify ought to prioritize its listeners and shareholders over podcast downloads by establishing a policy specifically banning content that promotes disinformation, hate, racism, and misogyny, that starts with removing Rogan’s offending episodes – and making it clear that they will terminate their deal with him if he continues to violate their policies.”
UltraViolet which has previously called on Spotify CEO Daniel Ek to establish clear policies against disinformation, hate, racism, and misogyny for all podcasts featured on the streaming platform and remove the podcast “The Joe Rogan Experience,” arguing that Rogan and Spotify knowingly spreads disinformation and conspiracy theories about COVID-19, vaccines, and modern medicine. A petition echoing the demands has been signed by more than 13,000 people.
The petition explains, “By giving a platform to Rogan, and his show “The Joe Rogan Experience,” Spotify is handing a mic to an anti-vaxxer misogynist and his guests to speak at length about their ideologies to the millions of listeners who come across the podcast everyday.”
VIEW THE PETITION HERE: https://act.weareultraviolet.org/sign/spotify_podcasts/
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