- Wow.
I didn't know I was agreeing to all those things
when you using Spotify,
almost like they wanna record my data or something.
Today I'm showing you why these services do that
and how to get a private music app.
So if that's something you want more of,
maybe leave a like and subscribe.
Okay, let me be clear.
Spotify is not a secure music app,
and it's not an exception.
While Spotify Privacy Settings contain
a ridiculous amount of permissions,
the alternatives are not better,
just check how SoundCloud or YouTube are.
I'm using the Exodus website, by the way,
a very good way to check what permissions
your favorite app is using.
Most of those are justified
since these services are partly ad funded.
As you can see a private Spotify account
is but a pipe dream, or is it?
Actually, we can avoid quite a bit of this data collection.
First of all, don't use apps.
Private music streaming is possible
when you use the browser version of these services.
bonus points for using a secure browser
that will remove a big chunk of weird permissions.
For instance, the Brave Browser I've covered recently
is a good privacy-oriented option here.
But if you wanna use an app,
I know how to make your Spotify private to a degree.
It's often possible to change
privacy settings and app permissions
to disable things you don't want.
Getting iPhone privacy is simple,
just go to the Privacy tab on the main Settings menu.
On Android, you have to explore the Apps tab
to get to Permissions,
go to Settings, Apps and Notifications,
Advanced to get to the Permission Manager.
That does not promise us private streaming though,
so let's drop some extras on top.
For instance, I often use temporary emails
to create accounts for such services
and if I'm getting a paid subscription
then it's with a cryptocurrency or gift card
so that I'm not giving out any bank details.
To make sure we're not giving out important data
you can avoid the app and stick
to an isolated privacy-oriented browser like Brave.
After all, it even hasn't built in VPN
but you can use any other option.
I'm mentioning VPNs for a reason here.
They work quite well for covering up
your location and IP address,
things you need for secure music streaming.
Most good VPN providers like NordVPN,
you see on the screen right now,
doesn't stop at IP Obfuscation.
If you have an unstable connection
that breaks from time to time,
Kill Switch will ensure that nothing leaks
at such an occasion.
Less frequent features are malware and ad blocking.
While by no means a proper antivirus,
I've encountered a couple of VPNs
that can effectively detect and block pages
with malicious content,
they also clean up annoying ads nicely
and apps that track and gather data
often also use ads.
Using NordVPN, as an example,
VPNs can also have a way to change servers together
or integrate the Onion router with a VPN.
A great VPN could also find out if any info associated
with a particular email was leaked to the Dark Web.
Okay, let's leave that aside for now
and focus on the secure private music streaming.
While I would recommend an anti-virus for security cases,
there are VPNs with anti-virus is built in,
such as Surfshark.
Of course, anti-viruses with VPN also exists as an option.
All things considered, getting a VPN
or modifying permissions and such can be a real hassle.
So, how about using Apple Music?
It's not ad funded and you can even run it
through the open source Cider client
on Windows and Linux too.
Apple Privacy is quite good in general
and comparing Apple Music versus Spotify,
the former is a more private music app.
With some permissions tweaking,
even an iOS app for Apple Music
will not get any unnecessary data from you.
So to summarize, a lot of popular music streaming services
are really invasive and don't provide
private streaming experience.
That's why certain steps are almost necessary
if you want to stay private.
And if one of those steps looks more preferable to you,
I have some discounts on the description below
so you can check those out.
Hope you enjoyed the video.
Leave some questions in the comments if you have any,
and listen to your music privately.
(upbeat music)