Government blocks 50 OTT platforms in 2 years over obscene content

The Central government has disabled public access to 50 OTT platforms in India over the last two years, citing the display of obscene content and violations of multiple laws, including the Information Technology (IT) Act, the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986.

The information was shared by Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs Dr L Murugan in a written reply to a question raised by Rajabhau Parag Prakash Waje in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.

According to the minister, the action was taken under the existing legal and regulatory framework after complaints against the platforms. The blocked services were found to be displaying obscene content and violating Sections 67 and 67A of the IT Act, Section 294 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and Section 4 of the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986.

Dr Murugan said complaints against digital news publishers and OTT platforms are dealt with under the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.

The rules, notified on February 25, 2021, under the IT Act, 2000, created a regulatory framework for digital news publishers and publishers of online curated content, including OTT platforms.

Part III of the IT Rules lays down a Code of Ethics for digital news publishers and OTT platforms, while complaints are addressed through the mechanism prescribed under the rules.

The minister also noted that Section 79(3)(b) of the IT Act empowers the government to direct intermediaries to remove or disable access to unlawful content. Based on complaints received, the government regularly takes action against intermediaries and OTT platforms found to be in violation of the law.