The Indian federal government banned 18 Over the Top (OTT) streaming platforms on accusations of publishing obscene and vulgar content. Alongside these platforms, 19 websites, 10 applications, and 57 social media accounts were also put under a nationwide restriction. The Indian Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) cited grounds of publishing explicitly obscene, pornographic, and vulgar content as the primary reason behind the ban.
A significant portion of the content was found to be obscene, vulgar, and portrayed women in a demeaning manner, the ministry noted. It further elucidated that the restricted platforms portrayed scenes of nudity, sexual acts in various inappropriate contexts, including relationships between teachers and students, incestuous family relationships, among others. The platforms failed to comply, despite multiple warnings, leading to this action.
The press release also mentions three OTT applications that boasted significant download milestones on the Google Play Store, with one reaching over ten million downloads and two others surpassing five million downloads each. These platforms extensively leveraged social media to promote their content, accumulating a combined follower count of over 3.2 million across various platforms.
In India, obscenity laws are governed by the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Information Technology Act (IT Act), which regulate and prohibit the publication, distribution, or creation of materials deemed indecent or sexually explicit. The Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act (IRWP) is another pertinent regulation.
- The IT Act stipulates up to three years imprisonment and/or a fine under Section 67, which pertains to lascivious or morally corrupt content. Section 67A targets material containing sexually explicit acts, entailing up to five years of imprisonment and/or a fine.
- The IPC, under Section 292, imposes up to two years of imprisonment and fines, with harsher consequences for repeat offenders. Section 293 and 294 address selling obscene materials to minors and conducting obscene acts in public places, respectively.
- Under Section 4 of the IRWP Act, the production, sale, distribution, or circulation of any material containing indecent representation of women are prohibited. Exceptions are made for material serving the public good, religious purposes, or ancient monuments, temples, and religious artifacts.
The platforms are also required to comply with the Cinematograph Act to avoid penalties under the IRWP Act.
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