Government says 50 OTT platforms blocked in two years over obscene content

New Delhi: The government has said it blocked public access to 50 OTT platforms over the past two years for allegedly hosting obscene content, while reiterating that India’s digital media framework is designed to balance accountability with freedom of expression.

Replying to an unstarred question in the Lok Sabha, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting minister of state for information and broadcasting and parliamentary affairs L. Murugan said digital news publishers and OTT platforms are regulated under the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.

The minister said Part II of the Rules, administered by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), requires intermediaries to observe due diligence in relation to content hosted or published on their platforms.

Part III of the Rules lays down a Code of Ethics for digital news publishers and publishers of online curated content, including OTT platforms. It also establishes a three-tier grievance redressal mechanism comprising publisher-level grievance handling, self-regulating bodies of publishers and an oversight mechanism overseen by the Central Government.

According to the government, the self-regulatory framework at the first two levels is intended to safeguard freedom of speech and expression while ensuring accountability among digital news publishers and OTT services.

The Ministry said action is taken against intermediaries and OTT platforms based on complaints received. Over the last two years, the government has disabled public access to 50 OTT platforms in India for allegedly displaying obscene content and violating provisions of Sections 67 and 67A of the Information Technology Act, Section 294 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and Section 4 of the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986.

The reply did not provide a year-wise breakup of violations reported over the last three years, but reiterated that unlawful online content can be removed or disabled under Section 79(3)(b) of the Information Technology Act, 2000 after appropriate notification to intermediaries.

The government also highlighted the role of its Fact Check Unit (FCU), which verifies information related to the Central Government with authorised ministries and departments before publishing corrected information across multiple digital platforms to counter misinformation.

While responding to a question on possible reforms, the government did not announce any fresh amendments to the IT Rules or broadcasting policies, indicating that the existing regulatory framework continues to govern digital news publishers, intermediaries and OTT platforms.