Thread by @Chronotope

I think there's a clear case with Spotify, they pay his salary, they're responsible. Some of the other cases coming up are less clear, but I think equally correct...

Anyone can self nominate on top Apple Podcasts for example, and if it was just a directory, a lack of moderation, while a different case, is also bad and needs to be addressed. But I don't think it's just that problem...

Apple Podcasts intermediates itself between downloader and site. When you download a podcast to listen on Apple News you're usually getting a cached version off of Apple's servers. So, for podcasts listed by Apple, it essentially acts as a CDN...

And, as we've seen, CDNs rightfully need to consider responsibility. By intermediating between source & user, it's easier for a source to scale up, it makes building an audience cheaper &, by caching the promotional metadata of a podcast, Apple makes it easier to find an audience

(I believe this same principle applies to AMP, if Google is caching a site's content, they're fundamentally making it cheaper to operate, insulating it from market forces that might otherwise be a way for users to express their preference against the site)

Cache layers can and do make ethical choices because they're a powerful tool for any site's growth and maintenence. As we have seen, many hate sites simply shut down without their cache systems. I suspect that is, to a lesser degree--but still, true for podcasts.

If play on your values as a podcast platform & dunk on Spotify in tweets, it's reasonable to ask if you are going to act on these values you place in opposition to Spotify's by doing something to stop making spreading misinformation and hate cheaper & take action on your platform

*to

So yeah Apple, maybe don't crow about how your values net you wins on Twitter until you delist and stop giving free caching services to infow*rs's misinformation and hate.

https://twitter.com/CheckMyAdsHQ/status/1487327680957665282