Government takes action against ‘obscene’ content on 18 OTT platforms

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) has taken action in coordination with various intermediaries to ban 18 OTT platforms for publishing “obscene”, “vulgar” and even “pornographic content”. An official statement from India’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said that 19 websites, 10 apps (7 on Google Play Store and 3 on Apple App Store) and 57 social media accounts related to these platforms have been compromised. No public access. Thursday.

Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Singh Thakur has repeatedly emphasized the responsibility of platforms not to spread obscene, vulgar and abusive content in the guise of “creative expression”. On March 12, Thakur announced the closure of 18 OTT platforms that publish obscene and vulgar content, the press release said.

The statement further added that the recent decision was taken in compliance with the provisions of the Information Technology Act, 2000, in consultation with other Government of India ministries and experts in the fields of media and entertainment, women’s rights and children’s rights.

“A large portion of the content hosted on these platforms was found to be obscene, vulgar and depict women in a derogatory manner. They depict nudity and sexual behavior in various inappropriate contexts such as teacher-student relationships, incestuous family relationships, etc. The content includes sexual innuendos and, in some cases, lengthy pornographic and explicit scenes that lack any thematic or social relevance,” the statement added.

The content was determined to be a prima facie violation of Sections 67 and 67A of the IT Act, Section 292 of the IPC and Section 4 of the Indecent Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986, the release said.

One of the OTT apps has been downloaded over 10 million times, while the other two apps have been downloaded over 5 million times on the Google Play Store. Additionally, these OTT platforms make extensive use of social media to spread trailers, specific scenes, and external links aimed at attracting audiences to their websites and apps. The social media accounts of relevant OTT platforms have a cumulative following of more than 3.2 million users.

The I&B ministry has been conducting promotional work with OTT platforms and their self-regulatory bodies established under the IT Rules, 2021 through meetings, webinars, seminars, etc., the statement said.

The Indian government remains committed to promoting the growth and development of the OTT industry. To this end, India has taken a number of measures, including setting up the first online drama OTT award at the 54th India International Film Festival, cooperating with OTT platforms in the media and entertainment field, and establishing a loose regulatory framework. The IT Rules 2021 emphasize on self-regulation, the release said.

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