Consequently, notices had been issued within the final week of October relating to violation of the IT Rules, 2021, and different legal guidelines associated to obscenity and vulgarity, together with Sections 67 (publishing or transmitting obscene materials) and 67A (publishing or transmitting of fabric containing sexually specific act) of the IT Act, 2000. The platforms got 5 days to make sure compliance.

All three platforms are operated by a Thane-based firm, Webworld Multimedia Private Limited. When contacted, a spokesperson of the corporate confirmed that the content material was taken down, and additional evaluate of all content material was being performed.

According to sources, the I&B Ministry has been coping with a rising variety of complaints relating to vulgarity on OTT platforms. While there are 57 registered OTT platforms at current, most of those complaints pertain to unregistered platforms which have mushroomed not too long ago.

All three platforms which had been ordered to take down content material had been unregistered.

Sources mentioned I&B Ministry might invoke Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986, in future, which is punishable with imprisonment.

Over the previous couple of months, I&B Minister Anurag Thakur has usually spoken concerning the rise in obscene and abusive content material on OTT platforms. “The government is serious about the complaints of increasing abusive and obscene content on OTT platforms. If there is a need to make any changes to the rules over this, the ministry will consider it… The government won’t back down from taking necessary action,” he had mentioned earlier.

At a gathering with representatives of OTT gamers in July, Thakur had underlined their accountability to make sure their platforms don’t propagate vulgarity and abuse.