Podimo’s mission

In Podimo, our values - the three C’s - provide us with a common language and alignment on how we operate, act and behave both internally and externally.

• We are curious with an experimental mindset

• We are courageous and confident 

• We care deeply and show respect 

We value diversity of all kinds as we look to build a platform where all ideas, thoughts and feelings are welcome. Our content policy is an important and integral part of that mission.

Podimo is a platform. 

All podcasts that have made themselves available on the open RSS feed can be accessed on Podimo. These podcasts encompass a wide range of formats and topics, including both popular shows in each country and lesser-known shows that you or we have not come across before. Podimo acts as a conduit for these shows and does not host them for streaming purposes. While these shows do not directly reflect our values, they do make up some of our listening. As a result, we have a legal responsibility to take appropriate action when necessary.

Beyond our obligation to adhere to the law, we strongly believe in the freedom of speech. We uphold this principle not simply because every perspective deserves consideration, but because oppression can arise not only from a select few individuals in power. At any given time, a broad consensus can function as an authoritarian force in itself. History has repeatedly shown that collectively, we are prone to error and sometimes even immorality. Our primary, but not exclusive, responsibility is to ensure that anyone has the ability to express their opinions and challenge a status quo, even if we disagree with them. We acknowledge that this is a freedom that can be abused, and we have developed the rules below to address the clearest cases of danger.

Podimo is a collaborator.

Podimo offers top-quality exclusive shows and collaborates with creators on production and distribution of exclusive shows in every market. Every day our local and global content teams make choices. They decide which existing shows to bring exclusively to our subscribers, what new exclusive shows to produce, and who we should work with to bring these exclusive shows to our listeners. In some cases, our teams are extensively involved in the production process, while in others, we are less involved in the final product delivered to us from our personalities and creative partners. All of the choices we make inherently reflect our values, whether intended or not.

We firmly believe that the finest art, entertainment, and educational content stem from creative freedom, while recognizing that there may be certain costs we must bear to get the most from these endeavors. These costs could take the form of an off-handed comment, an offensive joke, a sincere belief, ignorance, or a genuine oversight or mistake. We want to avoid piecemeal censorship, even when we disagree or are offended by these kinds of incidents. That is its own form of moral hazard. What we will not accept from our creative partners is persistent malice.

Podimo’s Rules

Podimo aims to foster an environment where individuals can create, express themselves, listen, share, learn, and find inspiration. There will be plenty of gray that we must allow for, but that does not mean that absolutely anything goes on Podimo. 

It is important to refrain from promoting violence, engaging in harassment, or any behavior that may pose a risk of serious physical harm or death. Below is a list of rules and limitations which may result in action to guide all of our creators, both for content made available on our platform through the open RSS feed and shows that are exclusive to Podimo.  

1. Content that either violates applicable laws and regulations or any relevant local codes and guidelines: Content that is intended to promote or commit any kind of illegal act; and content that does not abide by applicable local codes of conduct and, as relevant, journalistic standards and industry guidelines. 

2. Content that infringes the intellectual property rights of others: Content provided to Podimo without having obtained the necessary permissions for publication on Podimo and content that infringes third-party copyrights or trademarks.

3. Content that directly threatens or incites violence or hatred against an individual or a group: Content that directly encourages or promotes physical harm, aggression, violence, or hatred towards specific individuals or groups based on factors such as race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, nationality, or other protected characteristics.

4. Content that perpetuates violence against the systematically oppressed: Content that supports, justifies, or perpetuates violence, discrimination, or systemic oppression against marginalized communities, including but not limited to racial or ethnic minorities.

5. Content that targets an individual or identifiable group for harassment or related abuse: Content that repeatedly targets specific individuals with unwanted sexual advances, sharing, threatening to share, or encouraging others to share someone's private information, including credit card or banking details.

6. Content that glorifies nonconsensual sex and sexual violence: Content that promotes, portrays or celebrates nonconsensual sexual activities, sexual assault, rape, or any form of sexual violence without clear condemnation or contextual acknowledgment of the harm caused.

7. Content that illicitly promotes the sale of regulated or illegal goods: Content promoting the sale of illegal firearms, illegal drugs, or endangered species.

8. Content that encourages suicide or self-abuse: Do not actively promote or encourage self-harm, suicide, or any form of self-abuse, including methods, techniques, or harmful ideologies associated with these actions.

9. Content that sexually exploits children: Content that involves the sexual exploitation or abuse of minors, including child pornography, child grooming, or any form of explicit or harmful content involving children.

10. Deceptive content, including impersonation: Content aimed at intentionally deceiving or misleading others by impersonating another private individual, company representative, public figure, or authority figure in a manner that could cause harm, manipulate trust, or spread misinformation.

11. Willfully promoting misinformation resulting in widespread harm: Content that knowingly spreads false or misleading information with the intention of causing significant harm, such as health risks, social unrest, or public safety concerns, which could contribute to a significant negative impact on society.

12. Wilfully disseminating untrue defamatory statements: Content that contains slanderous or libelous statements or knowingly false information intended to harm an individual's or entity's reputation, character, or standing, potentially leading to legal consequences.

These rules may be subject to additional considerations and the above provided explanations are for illustrative purposes, which aim to provide a clearer understanding of the types of content that fall within each category, and are not to be considered as exhaustive. 

We reserve the right to remove any content we think violates or risks violating these rules. Furthermore, these rules are subject to change. 

Intervention

Whether functioning as a platform or a media company, determining when to intervene poses a complex challenge and establishes a nuanced precedent. We must balance our responsibility to support free speech and creative freedom with our audience’s expectations, if not demands. We take this responsibility seriously. 

Podimo adopts varying degrees of action when our policies are violated and we reserve the right to evaluate each instance against this policy on a case-by-case basis and take appropriate action as deemed necessary. 

We have many tools at our disposal and we will deploy them as the situation calls for. Our decision-making process is guided by a subtle understanding of power, which helps us evaluate whether seemingly similar offenses carry the same level of threat on a case-by-case basis. Making these judgments is not an easy task. On those hopefully rare occasions that we do decide to take action, we will aim to be transparent about our reasoning. We will continually refine and strengthen our policies and practices.

Not all violations warrant the same response. In the most extreme case we may block access to a show on our platform or sever ties with one of our exclusive partners. More often we may create context or warnings for offending episodes and work with our exclusive and original production partners to determine a best path forward for both parties.

We believe in empowering our listeners. Economics consequences notwithstanding, the listener should be making their own choices about what to listen to and what to avoid. We will build tools over time so they may have more control over what is promoted to them. This does not absolve us of all responsibility but ultimately, we are all better served if our listeners are able to make more of these decisions for themselves.

Enforcement

You can report content you think violates this policy by contacting us directly at content-policy@podimo.com. Once we’ve received your report, we’ll review the content, assess the matter and take action as appropriate.