The government initiated a significant crackdown on 18 'over-the-top' (OTT) streaming platforms, prohibiting them from broadcasting content deemed "obscene, vulgar, and, in some instances, pornographic.".......
The government initiated a significant crackdown on 18 ‘over-the-top’ (OTT) streaming platforms, prohibiting them from broadcasting content deemed “obscene, vulgar, and, in some instances, pornographic.”
The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (I&B) announced in an official press release that 19 websites, 10 apps, and 57 social media accounts linked to these platforms have been disabled for public access in India.
Among the banned applications, seven were accessible on the Google Play Store, while three were on the Apple App Store.
“The latest decision was made in accordance with the provisions outlined in the Information Technology Act of 2000, following consultations with various Ministries/Departments of the Government of India, as well as domain experts specializing in media and entertainment, women’s rights, and child rights,” stated the release.
The list of banned OTT platforms:
1) Dreams Films
2) Voovi
3) Yessma
4) Uncut Adda
5) Tri Flicks
6) X Prime
7) Neon X VIP
8) Besharams
9) Hunters
10) Rabbit
11) Xtramood
12) Nuefliks
13) MoodX
14) Mojflix
15) Hot Shots VIP
16) Fugi
17) Chikooflix
18) Prime Play
According to the Center, the content featured on these platforms was discovered to be “obscene, vulgar, and presented women in a derogatory manner.” The material included sexual innuendos and, in some instances, lengthy segments of pornographic and sexually explicit scenes lacking any thematic or societal significance, it noted.
Broadcasting such content constitutes a violation of Section 67 and 67A of the IT Act, Section 292 of the IPC, and Section 4 of the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986, as per the release. Among the banned OTT platforms, one garnered approximately 10 million downloads, while two others each amassed nearly 5 million downloads on the Google Play Store. “These OTT platforms extensively utilized social media for sharing trailers, specific scenes, and external links in an effort to attract audiences to their websites and apps. The social media accounts associated with the relevant OTT platforms collectively had over 3 million followers,” the release stated.
