The Ministry of Data & Broadcasting (I&B) has taken motion, in coordination with numerous intermediaries, to dam 18 OTT platforms publishing “obscene,” “vulgar,” and, in some situations, “pornographic content material”. 19 web sites, 10 apps (7 on the Google Play Retailer and three on the Apple App Retailer), and 57 social media accounts related to these platforms have been disabled for public entry in India, an official assertion from the Ministry of Data and Broadcasting stated on Thursday.
Union Minister for Data & Broadcasting Anurag Singh Thakur has repeatedly emphasised the duty of the platforms to not propagate obscenity, vulgarity and abuse below the guise of ‘inventive 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 determination was taken below the provisions of the Data Expertise Act, 2000, in session with different ministries of the Authorities of India, and area consultants specializing in media and leisure, ladies’s rights, and youngster rights.
“A good portion of the content material hosted on these platforms was discovered to be obscene, vulgar, and portrayed ladies in a demeaning method. It depicted nudity and sexual acts in numerous inappropriate contexts, equivalent to relationships between lecturers and college students, incestuous household relationships, and so forth. The content material included sexual innuendos and, in some situations, extended segments of pornographic and sexually specific 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, Part 292 of the IPC, and Part 4 of the Indecent Illustration of Ladies (Prohibition) Act, 1986, the discharge stated.
One of many OTT apps amassed greater than 1 crore downloads, whereas two others had over 50 lakh downloads on the Google Play Retailer. Moreover, these OTT platforms extensively make the most of social media to disseminate trailers, particular scenes, and exterior hyperlinks geared 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 below the IT Guidelines, 2021 by conferences, webinars, workshops, and so forth, the assertion stated.
The Authorities of India stays dedicated to fostering the expansion and growth of the OTT trade. A number of measures have been undertaken on this regard, together with the introduction of the Inaugural OTT Award for Internet Sequence on the 54th Worldwide Movie Competition 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 below the IT Guidelines, 2021, the discharge stated.
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