Spotify’s latest acquisition is a company that detects harmful content in podcasts
has purchased an organization it says will assist it detect and tackle dangerous content material on the platform. Kinzen makes use of machine studying and human experience to research presumably dangerous content material and hate speech throughout a number of languages, . It added that Kinzen will “assist us extra successfully ship a protected, fulfilling expertise on our platform world wide” and that the corporate’s tech is particularly suited to podcasts and different audio codecs.
On the lookout for indicators of dangerous audio content material throughout a whole lot of languages is a troublesome job, significantly since there could also be nuances that sure programs and non-native audio system could not choose up on. As such, Spotify says Kinzen will assist it to “higher perceive the abuse panorama and determine rising threats on the platform.”
The 2 corporations have truly been working collectively since 2020, with the intention of stopping misinformation in election-related content material. They cast their partnership earlier than Joe Rogan began on his , which is alleged to be the most-listened-to podcast on the planet.
There was a major backlash in opposition to Rogan and Spotify earlier this yr. A whole bunch of medical doctors and scientists urged Spotify to to stem the unfold of misinformation. Weeks later, Spotify began to podcast episodes that included discussions about COVID-19 and made its content material tips public.
A number of outstanding artists pulled their music from Spotify in protest in opposition to Rogan, together with and . The host and editor of Spotify-owned podcast Science VS additionally (besides ones by which it fact-checked Rogan and countered misinformation on the platform) until the corporate did extra to stem the movement of dangerous falsehoods.
It might be the case that Spotify sees using Kinzen’s tech as a method to assist it keep away from sooner or later. Nonetheless, it is unclear how efficient will probably be in stopping the unfold of misinformation. Had been dangerous content material to be featured on a well-liked podcast, it might acquire traction on social media and in press protection earlier than Spotify can act. Nonetheless, at the least it is making an attempt to do extra to stamp out misinformation.
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