Spotify Acquires Content Moderation Firm Kinzen to Detect Harmful Content on the Platform

Audio-streaming service Spotify Technology on Wednesday said it had acquired Kinzen, a firm that has helped it identify harmful content on the platform.

The acquisition is part of Spotify's efforts to deal with harmful content on its service after a backlash earlier this year over "The Joe Rogan Experience", in which the podcaster was accused of spreading misinformation about COVID-19.

The Dublin-based firm has been working with Spotify since 2020, initially focusing on the integrity of election-related content around the world. Since then, Kinzen's remit has expanded to include targeting misinformation, disinformaton and hate speech.

"Kinzen offers a combination of tools and expertise to help us better understand the content on our platform and emerging abuse trends," said Sarah Hoyle, Spotify's head of trust and safety.

Deal terms were not disclosed.

Earlier this year, Spotify said it would be more transparent in how it determines what is acceptable and unacceptable content. It published its platform rules for the first time in January. In June, it formed a Safety Advisory Council to provide input on harmful content.

Kinzen will provide early warnings about problems in different markets, helping Spotify more effectively moderate content in more languages.

In other news, Spotify recently announced the launch of a new audiobooks service in the US. Under the new initiative, the streaming service will offer over 3,00,000 titles. Users in the US will now be able to find audiobooks as a separate section on Spotify alongside music and podcasts in their library, in search, and in their curated recommendations on the Spotify home page.

The Sweden-based company announced in a blog post that users can discover audiobooks in the Spotify app, and will be redirected to purchase them on the company's website. Once purchased, the audiobook will remain accessible from the user's library.

© Thomson Reuters 2022