43 OTT platforms blocked for showing obscene content

The Government has disabled access to 43 OTT platforms for displaying obscene content, Union Minister L Murugan said in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.

In a written reply, the minister of state for information and broadcasting said OTT platforms are under an obligation not to transmit any content prohibited by law.

In response to a separate question, Murugan said the Central Board of Film Certification is a statutory authority established under the Cinematograph Act, 1952, to examine and certify cinematographic films for public exhibition.

The minister said OTT content is regulated under the provisions of Part III of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.

The Code of Ethics requires OTT platforms to avoid publishing content prohibited by the law and undertake age-based classification of content as per the guidelines in the Rules, he said.

Murugan said these Rules also outline a three-tier institutional mechanism to ensure adherence to content-related norms and to address public grievances -- Level I, self-regulation by the publishers; Level II, self-regulation by the self-regulating bodies of the publishers; and Level III, oversight mechanism of the Central government.

“The grievances related to OTT content are duly forwarded to the concerned OTT platforms for appropriate action under Level-I of the redressal mechanism, viz self-regulation by the publishers, provided under the IT Rules, 2021,” the minister said.