Govt disables 50 OTT platforms in last two years for obscene content and IT Act violations
Government says it disabled 50 OTT platforms in India over the last two years for obscene content and for violations of the Information Technology Act, 2000 and allied laws.
- The Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media, Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 created a formal framework for regulating digital news publishers and OTT platforms under the Information Technology Act, 2000.
- The provision allows notification to intermediaries for removing or disabling access to unlawful content.
- The Union Government said it disabled 50 OTT platforms in India over the last two years for obscene content and legal violations.
What happened
The Union Government has said that it disabled 50 OTT platforms in India over the last two years. The stated reasons were obscene content and violations of Section 67 and Section 67A of the Information Technology Act, 2000, Section 294 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and Section 4 of the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986.
The information was given in the Lok Sabha by the Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs, Dr. L. Murugan, in response to a written question.
UPSC can frame OTT regulation around the balance between freedom of expression, platform accountability, and the State’s power to remove unlawful digital content under the Information Technology Act, 2000 and the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media, Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. The topic also supports questions on intermediary liability, content moderation, and the legal test for obscene or prohibited content.
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