A report by Billboard on Thursday revealed that Spotify shares user data with music labels when users pre-save music, effectively giving the companies access to account information along with control over playlists.
The pre-save feature allows Spotify to add new music to your playlist as soon as it is released on the platform, rather than you having to wait until the release date to save it yourself.
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Research conducted by media analysts showed that several music labels, like Sony, require a long list permissions from users when they pre-save albums. This grants companies the ability to do more than just add music onto playlists.
In fact, screenshots revealed that Sony requests permission to track your recently played, who you follow and even “stream and control Spotify on your other devices”.
Though the practice is not technically illegal because companies like Sony are being given permission from users themselves, the revelation does pose a security risk on the music streaming site.
Feature image: Andy Walker/Memeburn
