Spotify’s Safety Advisory Council Is Still a Thing and I Guess We Should Talk About It
Okay so remember back in 2022 when Spotify was having its whole Joe Rogan moment? Neil Young pulled his music, Joni Mitchell followed, everyone was mad about COVID misinformation, and for like two weeks it seemed like maybe there would be consequences for something? Yeah. Wild times.
Anyway Spotify responded by doing what every tech company does when theres a PR crisis. They formed a council. The Spotify Safety Advisory Council specifically. And then everyone kind of forgot about it because thats how these things go.
But heres the thing. Its actually still around? And theyve been quietly adding members and doing stuff? I know, I was surprised too.
What the council actually does
So the Spotify Safety Advisory Council doesnt make decisions about specific content or creators. Like they cant ban someone or remove an episode. What they do is advise Spotifys internal teams on policy stuff and safety features. Its more of a “hey maybe think about this” situation than a “we have the power to do anything” situation.
The founding members include a bunch of academics and organizations that work on online safety. Dangerous Speech Project, Center for Democracy and Technology, Institute for Strategic Dialogue. A lot of professors with expertise in things like misinformation and hate speech. You know, the kind of people who have been screaming into the void about platform moderation for years.
Spotify says the council helps them “evolve policies and products in a safe way while respecting creator expression.” Which is corp speak but like. At least theyre trying to balance something I guess?
The expansion nobody noticed
Since 2022 theyve actually been adding members. Thorn joined in 2023, which is a nonprofit that builds tech to fight child exploitation. PROJECT ROCKIT got added for anti-bullying expertise. Earlier this year they partnered with Internet Watch Foundation for child safety stuff.
None of this made headlines because good news about platform safety isnt really news. We only pay attention when things go wrong. Which fair, but also kind of explains why companies dont try harder. Why bother doing the work if nobody cares unless you mess up?
Im not saying Spotifys safety efforts are perfect. Theyre not. The council cant touch individual content decisions which means if theres another Rogan situation the same structural problems exist. The people who actually get to decide what stays and goes are still Spotify employees answering to Spotify leadership.
Does any of this matter
Look I go back and forth on whether advisory councils like this are meaningful or just PR cover. On one hand having external experts review your policies is genuinely useful. These are people who study misinformation and harassment professionally. Their input probably does make some difference even if we never see it directly.
On the other hand. Its an advisory council. They advise. Spotify doesnt have to do anything they say. And when the money is on the line – like with a $200 million podcast deal – we already know how that math works out.
The real test is gonna be next time theres a major controversy. Will the council have actually changed anything? Will Spotify handle it differently? I genuinely dont know. But at least the infrastructure exists now which is more than you can say for some platforms.
Anyway. Spotify Safety Advisory Council. Its a thing. Now you know.
