Weblog: Spotify wants your contacts and photos

Streaming music is wonderful. Being stalked by the provider of said music service is not. While the usual attitude to T&Cs is TL;DR (too long; didn't read), a recent update to Spotify's privacy policy is causing users to sit up and pay attention. In order to continue using Spotify, subscribers must agree to the updated policy, which is asking for permission to access more data than would normally be considered acceptable.

“With your permission, we may collect information stored on your mobile device, such as contacts, photos, or media files,” states the policy.

It also mentions that it will be gathering information on your location and how fast you are walking or running. Admittedly if you’re using Spotify for exercise (it detects tempo and matches music to this) then you are aware of this already; it is necessary for this feature.

What seems unnecessary and in violation of user's privacy is the act of collecting photos and contacts. Some high-profile users including Minecraft creator Markus Persson have publicly announced quitting the service.

[ spotify.com/legal/privacy-policy ]