The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (I&B) has taken action to block 18 OTT platforms that were sharing inappropriate content, including obscene, vulgar, and, in some cases, pornographic material.
Additionally, 19 websites, 10 apps (7 on Google Play Store, 3 on Apple App Store), and 57 social media accounts linked to these platforms have been disabled for public access in India.
On March 14th, Union Minister Anurag Thakur announced that these actions were taken after multiple warnings from the Union government, as stated by PIB in a release.
Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting, Anurag Singh Thakur, has stressed the responsibility of these platforms to refrain from spreading obscenity, vulgarity, and abuse under the pretext of 'creative expression'.
On March 12, 2024, Thakur declared that 18 OTT platforms sharing obscene and vulgar content have been taken down, as mentioned by PIB.
This recent decision was made under the provisions of the Information Technology Act, 2000, in consultation with other Ministries/Departments of the Government of India, and domain experts specializing in media and entertainment, women's rights, and child rights.
The list of OTT platforms includes Rabbit, Prime Play, Dreams Films, Voovi, Yessma, Uncut Adda, Hot Shots VIP, Tri Flicks, X Prime, Besharams, Hunters, Mojflix, among others.
These platforms were blocked due to their content being deemed obscene, vulgar, and demeaning towards women.
It depicted nudity and sexual acts in inappropriate contexts, such as relationships between teachers and students, incestuous family relationships, etc.
The content also included sexual innuendos and, in some cases, prolonged segments of pornographic and sexually explicit scenes that lacked any thematic or societal relevance.
Many people on social media praised this decision, stating it was an excellent move.
They emphasised that social and OTT media should aim to increase productivity, not decrease it.
Some also alleged that platforms like ALTBalaji and Ullu were not on the list despite allegedly being providers of highly adult content.