The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (I&B) has taken motion, in coordination with numerous intermediaries, to dam 18 OTT platforms publishing “obscene,” “vulgar,” and, in some cases, “pornographic content”. 19 web sites, 10 apps (7 on the Google Play Store and three on the Apple App Store), and 57 social media accounts related to these platforms have been disabled for public entry in India, an official assertion from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting stated on Thursday.
Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting Anurag Singh Thakur has repeatedly emphasised the duty of the platforms to not propagate obscenity, vulgarity and abuse underneath the guise of ‘artistic expression’. On March 12, Thakur introduced that 18 OTT platforms publishing obscene and vulgar content material had been taken down, the discharge stated.
The assertion additional added that the current resolution was taken underneath the provisions of the Information Technology Act, 2000, in session with different ministries of the Government of India, and area consultants specializing in media and leisure, girls’s rights, and youngster rights.
“A significant portion of the content hosted on these platforms was found to be obscene, vulgar, and portrayed women in a demeaning manner. It depicted nudity and sexual acts in various inappropriate contexts, such as relationships between teachers and students, incestuous family relationships, etc. The content included sexual innuendos and, in some instances, prolonged segments of pornographic and sexually explicit scenes devoid of any thematic or societal relevance,” the assertion added.
The content material was decided to be prima facie in violation of Sections 67 and 67A of the IT Act, Section 292 of the IPC, and Section 4 of the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986, the discharge stated.
One of the OTT apps amassed greater than 1 crore downloads, whereas two others had over 50 lakh downloads on the Google Play Store. Additionally, these OTT platforms extensively make the most of social media to disseminate trailers, particular scenes, and exterior hyperlinks aimed toward attracting audiences to their web sites and apps. The social media accounts of the involved OTT platforms had a cumulative followership of over 32 lakh customers, it stated.
The Ministry of I&B persistently conducts sensitization efforts with OTT platforms and their self-regulatory our bodies established underneath the IT Rules, 2021 by way of conferences, webinars, workshops, and so forth, the assertion stated.
The Government of India stays dedicated to fostering the expansion and improvement of the OTT trade. Several measures have been undertaken on this regard, together with the introduction of the Inaugural OTT Award for Web Series on the 54th (*18*) Film Festival of India, collaboration with OTT platforms within the media and leisure sector, and the institution of a lightweight contact regulatory framework with an emphasis on self-regulation underneath the IT Rules, 2021, the discharge stated.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV workers and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
