The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (I&B) announced the ban of 18 OTT platforms for publishing obscene, vulgar, and, in some cases, pornographic content. The ban extends to approximately 19 websites, 10 apps (7 on Google Play Store, 3 on Apple App Store), and 57 associated social media accounts, which have been disabled for public access in India.

A recent government release stated that the decision to ban the aforementioned OTT platforms was made in accordance with the provisions of the Information Technology Act, 2000. The decision was reached after consultations with various Ministries/Departments of the Government of India, as well as domain experts in media and entertainment, women's rights, and child rights.

The release also highlighted that a substantial amount of content featured on these platforms was deemed to be obscene, vulgar, and depicted women in a derogatory light.

It stated, "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."

The content was assessed and found to prima facie contravene Section 67 and 67A of the Information Technology Act, Section 292 of the Indian Penal Code, and Section 4 of the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986.

The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting has issued a ban on several OTT platforms for their dissemination of objectionable content. The list includes 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. These platforms have been prohibited from public access in India due to their hosting of content that violates legal regulations regarding decency and representation of women.

Image source: The Economic Times