Spotify acquires Kinzen to ‘ramp up’ safety efforts

In brief

Spotify has acquired online safety company Kinzen with the goal of “ramping up” its efforts to protect users from harmful content.

Kinzen uses a blend of human expertise and machine learning to provide early-warning of the spread of harmful content in multiple languages, which a spokesperson for Spotify has characterized as particularly well-suited for podcasting and audio formats.

Spotify has come under scrutiny this year for podcasts published on the platform containing hateful speech; last month, the Anti-Defamation League accused the Stockholm-headquartered company of harboring white supremacist music and speech.

Before the acquisition, Spotify began a partnership with the Dublin-based Kinzen in 2020.