Spotify have released a new privacy policy in their recent update, and this is one of those times you might want to actually read those terms and conditions.
Under the new policy, the music streaming service will be doing a couple of things that might make you want to break out the tinfoil hats. Not only will it be tacking your GPS, as well as receiving all of the information you post on Facebook and other 'third party applications', but it can now legally collect your phones contacts, photos, and media files.
According to the update, if you accept the update, Spotify can “collect information stored on your mobile device, such as contacts, photos, or media files". So you don't actually have to upload anything, or even go online, for them to take your information, they'll just pull it straight from your device.
The company can now also "collect information about your location based on, for example, your phone’s GPS location or other forms of locating mobile devices (e.g., Bluetooth). We may also collect sensor data (e.g., data about the speed of your movements, such as whether you are running, walking, or in transit).” Great another app trying to track us. We've become fairly accustomed this, seeing as Google have been doing it for ages, but we don't like it, or understand why they need to know what pace we're running at.
If you use any other Third Party Applications to login to Spotify, think Facebook and Twitter, they can pull information from those now too. “You may integrate your Spotify account with Third Party Applications. If you do, we may receive similar information related to your interactions with the Service on the Third Party Application, as well as information about your publicly available activity on the Third Party Application. This includes, for example, your “Like”s and posts on Facebook.” But I thought they only let us login like that because it made things easier, right?
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Wrong, but at least they have given us a good alternative if we don't care for this 1984-esque Big Brother style behaviour. “If you don’t agree with the terms of this Privacy Policy, then please don’t use the Service.”
Maybe we will, Spotify, maybe we will.
Via Wired
