I&B Ministry
MIB proposes to strengthen govt-citizen interface
MUMBAI: Months after a country-wide uproar and nudges from the judiciary forced the Indian government to shutter a Big Brother-type initiative involving tracking of Indians’ digital footprints, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting is taking another shot to “understand citizen views expressed publicly in print, television, online and social media platforms”.
The primary stated aim of this new proposal is to help India’s federal government identify areas and issues that concern citizens and also help it in improving the communication system with regard to addressing citizens’ concerns, while creating awareness about various government initiatives, schemes and other important campaigns.
“Understanding of trends, topics, hashtags relevant to the government related activities; analysis of social media campaigns run by the government; understanding of social media sentiments, with indicators (topic) wise conversations and other references on the worldwide web” were some of the listed deliverables of the project.
At this juncture it’s not clear whether the new proposal is a watered-down version of the aborted social media hub of the MIB or purely a government-citizen interface to propagate government schemes.
According to a tender floated on 7 December 2018 by Broadcast Engineering Consultants India Ltd (BECIL), proposals were invited for strengthening of the New Media Wing (NMW) of the MIB by providing solutions, software and services for an “integrated communication solution to include all digital public platforms (social media and online media) making use of existing infrastructure and resources” of the ministry wherever possible.
BECIL is an organisation under MIB that was set up in the 1990s and provides project consultancy services and turnkey solutions encompassing the entire gamut of radio and television broadcast engineering like content production facilities, terrestrial transmission facilities, satellite and cable broadcasting facilities in India and abroad. It also provides other allied services.
The tender document, available on BECIL’s website, further states that the successful bidder would be required to “possess capabilities to study multiple public platforms in order to facilitate creating a comprehensive view of various focus areas of the government”.
Apart from this, the vendor should have relevant expertise and capability to provide communication insights to the MIB on how to improve the government’s communication and to create citizen-engaging content for various media and social media campaigns.
“Also, it should provide feedback on various government schemes and suggest steps for its improvement…[and] such a system should provide for a comprehensive feedback reporting system to understand various aspects of traditional and social media communication and help formulate strategies for betterment of the integrated communication of the NMW.
“The setup should be real time and have multi language capabilities,” the tender document states.
The deadline for finding a vendor is listed as year-end with other pre-bid meetings to be held before that.
On the issue of the hyped up Social Media Hub, MIB Minister Rajyavardhan Rathore earlier in the year had tried to allay fears on surveillance and privacy violations by the government. Subsequently, a case was filed in the Supreme Court by a politician from West Bengal alleging that the government was set to unleash an intrusive surveillance era. With the apex court questioning the motives, MIB had announced in August it was closing down the proposal.
I&B Ministry
MIB blocks MoodXVIP, Koyal Playpro and three other OTT platforms over obscene, sexually explicit content
Platforms streamed material violating IT Act provisions
NATIONAL: India’s Information and Broadcasting Ministry blocked five over-the-top streaming platforms for allegedly hosting obscene and sexually explicit content, marking a fresh escalation in regulatory action against digital services operating outside the country’s content rules, as per media reports.
The platforms, MoodXVIP, Koyal Playpro, Digi Movieplex, Feel and Jugnu, were found to be streaming material that prima facie violates provisions of the Information Technology Act and rules governing online publishers.
Blocking orders were issued under statutory powers that allow the government to restrict access to online content in the interest of public order and decency. Internet service providers have been directed to disable access to the websites and mobile applications linked to the platforms.
The move forms part of a wider surveillance drive by the ministry targeting lesser-known and unregulated streaming services that allegedly evade self-regulatory obligations applicable to OTT platforms. Officials said the action followed repeated advisories urging compliance with Indian laws, including age-based classification, grievance redressal mechanisms and restrictions on explicit material.
Government sources described the content hosted by the blocked platforms as “highly explicit”, adding that it crossed legal thresholds permitted under Indian law. While large OTT players operate within a three-tier grievance redressal framework introduced in 2021, smaller apps have increasingly drawn scrutiny for distributing adult content without oversight.
The latest action also reflects heightened enforcement against platforms operating through mirror websites, offshore hosting arrangements or opaque ownership structures. Authorities have in recent years stepped up monitoring of online curated content amid concerns around obscenity, misleading promotions and unlawful distribution.
Officials declined to say whether further steps, including probes into operators, payment gateways or production entities, were being considered. However, sources indicated that additional platforms could face similar action if found in breach of the law.
