Eradicating Obscene Content – Ministry Information & Broadcasting Takes Action Against 18 OTT Platforms, 19 Websites, 10 Apps, and 57 Social Media Handles

Action Taken

The Ministry has enforced blocks on 18 Over-The-Top (OTT) platforms, 19 websites, 10 apps (7 on Google Play Store, 3 on Apple App Store), and 57 social media accounts linked to these platforms. This decisive action has been executed in cooperation with various intermediaries.

Reason Behind the Crackdown

A substantial portion of the content present on these platforms was discovered to be obscene, lewd, and portrayed women in a degrading manner. It showcased nudity and sexual acts in inappropriate contexts such as teacher-student relationships, incestuous family dynamics, and more. The content featured sexual implications and, at times, extended sequences of pornographic and sexually explicit content with no thematic or societal significance.

Legal Justification

The content was deemed to be prima facie breaching Section 67 and 67A of the IT Act, Section 292 of the IPC, and Section 4 of the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986.

Responsibility of OTT Platforms

Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting, Anurag Singh Thakur, has consistently stressed the responsibility of platforms to refrain from propagating obscenity, vulgarity, and abuse under the guise of ‘creative expression’.

List of Banned Platforms

The compilation of banned OTT platforms consists of Dreams Films, Voovi, Yessma, Uncut Adda, Tri Flicks, X Prime, Neon X, VIP Besharams, Hunters, Rabbit, Xtramood, Nuefliks, MoodX, Mojflix, Hot Shots, VIP Fugi, and Chikooflix.

Impact of the Crackdown

One of the OTT apps amassed over 1 crore downloads, while two others exceeded 50 lakh downloads on the Google Play Store. These OTT platforms extensively utilized social media to promote trailers, specific scenes, and external links to lure audiences to their websites and apps.

Conclusion

This government intervention marks a pivotal stride towards fostering a safer and more respectful digital environment. It underscores the imperative for digital platforms to comply with national laws and respect the sensitivities of their users. Additionally, it serves as a reminder to users to exercise caution in consuming and sharing content online, emphasizing digital responsibility and online content standards.