The Information & Broadcasting Ministry has blocked 18 OTT platforms on the charge of publishing obscene and vulgar content. The 19 websites, 10 apps and 57 social media handles associated with these platforms have also been blocked nationwide.
The action has been taken, in coordination with various intermediaries, for violations of the Information Technology Act, Indian Penal Code, and Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act. While seven of the blocked apps were hosted on Google Play Store, three were on Apple App Store, said the Ministry.
Explained | Why is the government pushing for regulatory mechanisms for OTT services?
“Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting Anurag Singh Thakur has repeatedly emphasised the responsibility of the platforms to not propagate obscenity, vulgarity, and abuse under the guise of ‘creative expression’. On March 12, 2024, Mr. Thakur announced that 18 OTT platforms publishing obscene and vulgar content have been taken down,” it said.
Among the blocked OTT platforms are 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, and Prime Play. The Ministry said a significant portion of the content hosted on these platforms was found to be obscene, vulgar, and portrayed women in a demeaning manner.
“It depicted nudity and sexual acts in various inappropriate contexts, such as relationships between teachers and students, incestuous family relationships, etc. The content included sexual innuendos and, in some instances, prolonged segments of pornographic and sexually explicit scenes devoid of any thematic or societal relevance,” said the Ministry.
One of the OTT apps had amassed recorded over 1 crore downloads, while two others had over 50 lakh downloads on the Google Play Store. “Additionally, these OTT platforms extensively utilised social media to disseminate trailers, specific scenes, and external links aimed at attracting audiences to their websites and apps. The social media accounts...had a cumulative followership of over 32 lakh users,” it said. The social media accounts were on Facebook (12), Instagram (17), X (16), and YouTube (12).
