The Indian government has blocked 18 over-the-top (OTT) platforms in a crackdown on services accused of streaming obscene and vulgar material. The content in question included sexual innuendos and, in some cases, extended scenes of pornographic and sexually explicit material without any thematic or societal relevance.
Why was the decision made and which platforms were banned?
This decision was made under the provisions of the Information Technology Act of 2000, following consultations with various ministries, departments, and domain experts in media, entertainment, women’s rights, and child rights.
The 18 OTT platforms that were blocked include services such as:
- Dreams Films
- Voovi
- Yessma
- Uncut Adda
- Tri Flicks
- X Prime
- Neon X VIP
- Besharams
- Hunters
- Rabbit
- Xtramood
- Nuefliks
- MoodX
- Mojflix
- Hot Shots VIP
- Fugi
- Chikooflix
- Prime Play
These platforms have been found to portray women in a demeaning manner and depict nudity and sexual acts in inappropriate contexts. Moreover, notices were issued to these platforms in the last week of October 2023 regarding violation of the IT Rules, 2021 and other laws as well.
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This included the likes of Section 67 (publishing or transmitting obscene material) and 67A (publishing or transmitting of material containing sexually explicit act) of the IT Act, 2000. Then, the platforms were given five days to ensure compliance which they failed to do so. The notices were part of a broader initiative to address the rising number of complaints regarding vulgar content on digital platforms.
The Ministry’s latest statement highlighted that these platforms extensively used social media to disseminate trailers, specific scenes, and external links aimed at attracting audiences to their websites and apps.
As a result, in addition to the OTT platforms, the government also disabled 19 websites, 10 apps, and 57 social media accounts associated with these services. One of the blocked apps had over one crore downloads, while two others had over 50 lakh downloads, indicating their significant viewership.
How is this different from content shown on Netflix and other services?
The situation with Netflix and other OTT platforms like SonyLIV or Prime Video in India is different from the other OTT platforms that have been banned. Firstly, Netflix and similar platforms offer an option for users to watch uncensored content only by confirming that their age is above 18 years. This approach aligns with the regulations that allow adults to view such content while protecting younger audiences.
Secondly and most importantly, Netflix and other platforms are known to remove or edit content in their Indian catalogue that may not comply with local laws or sensitivities. In contrast, the banned platforms failed to meet the demands of the government in accordance with the country’s laws.