Last.fm sends a memo to Techcrunch: You're full of s**t
A few days ago we reported that U2's latest album, dubbed No Line on the Horizon, had leaked to the Internet despite huge efforts put in place by Paul McGuinness. After all was said and done, everyone's eyes turned to Last.fm, a web service that lists your recently played tracks. Techcrunch ran a story stating that, "Last.ft, which is owned by CBS, actually handed the data over to the RIAA." The story then became a huge tabloid in the blogosphere as fears of the RIAA possibly tracking down the leakers.
The story has turned into a huge controversy over Last.fm user's privacy, and co-founder Richard Jones isn't so pleased with the defamation of his service. In an open memo to Techcrunch, Jones states ""When you signup to Last.fm and scrobble what you listen to, you are trusting us with your listening data. We take this very seriously. The old-timers on Last.fm who've been with us since the early days can attest to this – we've always been very open and transparent about how your data is used. This hasn't changed. We never share personally identifiable data such as email and IP addresses. The only type of data we make available to labels and artists, other than what you see on the site, is aggregate data of listeners and number of....
plays."
The author of the story, Erick Schonfeld, ran the story even after a Last.fm representative told them that they were unaware of any data given to the RIAA. This could very well turn into a lawsuit between the two companies, and is something that I particularly would support. This type of journalism is completely uncalled for, and can damage a news source's credibility. Jones then went on to say "So do us a favour – if you see people spreading the rumour, refer them to this blog post and mention you heard from a friend that ‘Techcrunch are full of ****.'"
Neowin was alerted of this story after the allegations were announced, but after contacting Last.fm we were told that this was untrue and didn't run a story. Do you think that Last.fm should pursue legal actions for defamation? Let us know by voting in the poll below.
Posted:
Related Articles
Comments
Latest Downloads
- 01. Humans are not that against Lizardwomen: SaveGame (The Game done 100%)(0)
- 02. Tekken 1 100% save game file for Retroarch US version(0)
- 03. The Expanse: A Telltale Series - SaveGame (all chapters are opened, trophies are unlocked)(0)
- 04. Need for Speed: Most Wanted (2005) - SaveGame (Good start, 6 cars) [1.0](1)
- 05. Commandos: Strike Force - SaveGame(1)
- 06. Mario Party 2 100% Complete Save(1)
- 07. Mario Party 2 (Virtual Console) Save(0)
- 08. My Summer Car: SaveGame (Satsuma blue moon)(0)
- 09. [EU] Dark Souls 2 SOTFS Modded Starter Save(7)
- 10. Saints Row: SaveGame (Arena of Death, 31% storyline)(1)
- 11. Lies of P: SaveGame (100%, all bosses killed, level 85 hero)(4)
- 12. PainKiller Supernatural 2.0: SaveGame(0)
- 13. Supermarket Simulator: SaveGame (100lvl, 100k money) [0.12.4](2)
- 14. [EU/JP] Code Vein CUSA09824 Exalted Reputation Trophy and Proven Devotion(12)
- 15. Five Nights At Freddy's 3: Save Game (completed everything 100%(0)
Latest Tutorials
- 01. The Redress Of Mira 100% Walkthrough | Trophy & Achievement(755)
- 02. Russian Pinocchio Quick Trophy Guide(1,006)
- 03. Venatrix Quick Trophy & Achievement Guide(1,072)
- 04. Call of the Sea 100% Platinum Walkthrough(999)
- 05. Wire Lips 100% Platinum Walkthrough(1,123)
- 06. The Expanse 100% Platinum Walkthrough | Trophy & Achievement(984)
- 07. Doctor Who: The Edge of Reality - PS4 Platinum P/Thru(900)
- 08. Doctor Who:The Lonely Assassins - 100% Guide(768)
- 09. DAYMARE 1998 PS4 - Full game 100% TROPHY WALKTHROUGH(804)
- 10. Stray Platinum Walkthrough | Trophy & Achievement Guide(750)
- 11. Raji: An Ancient Epic | Complete Gameplay Walkthrough(997)
- 12. Corpse Killer: 25th Anniversary Edition - Longplay(1,018)
- 13. Song of Horror: Complete Edition Gameplay Walkthrough(698)
- 14. Remoteness 100% All Trophies Walkthrough(1,118)
- 15. Detective Inspector Mysterious Clues Platinum Walkthrough(815)
"Last.fm sends a memo to Techcrunch: You're full of s**t" :: Login/Create an Account :: 0 comments