50 OTT platforms blocked in past two years, says Minister
Government says access to 50 OTT platforms has been disabled in two years for alleged obscenity and violations of the Information Technology Act, 2000
- The Union government said access to 50 OTT platforms was disabled over the last two years for alleged obscenity and legal violations.
- The Ministry said the rules were notified to create an institutional oversight framework for current-affairs publishers and online platforms.
The Union government said it has disabled access to 50 OTT platforms over the last two years for allegedly showing obscene material and violating the Information Technology Act, 2000 and other laws. The action places online streaming platforms within India’s wider digital-governance and content-regulation framework.
The issue matters for UPSC because OTT regulation sits at the intersection of freedom of speech and expression, online safety, intermediary governance, and State powers to regulate digital publishers. It also raises the policy question of how far content moderation should rely on statutory oversight rather than platform self-regulation.
Background and earlier position
UPSC can ask about the balance between freedom of expression, content regulation, and state oversight of digital publishers and OTT platforms. The issue connects the Information Technology Act, 2000, the Information Technology Rules for digital publishers and OTT platforms, and questions of proportional regulation, accountability, and enforcement capacity.
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