Source: X
Guwahati, March 14: The government on Thursday blocked 18 over-the-top (OTT) platforms due to the dissemination of obscene, vulgar, and at times, pornographic content, following repeated warnings by Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Anurag Thakur.
The Ministry, in collaboration with various intermediaries, enforced the block on 18 OTT platforms, alongside disabling 19 associated websites, 10 applications (7 on Google Play Store, 3 on Apple App Store), and 57 social media accounts accessible in the country.
The decision was executed under the purview of the Information Technology Act, 2000, and in consultation with other government Ministries/Departments and domain experts specialising in media, entertainment, women’s rights and child rights.
Minister Thakur highlighted the responsibility of platforms to uphold decency standards and not misuse the notion of “creative expression” to propagate obscenity and abuse.
The blocked OTT platforms include 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.
Minister Thakur highlighted that a substantial portion of the content hosted on these platforms depicted women in a demeaning manner, containing nudity, sexual acts, and sexual innuendos, often without thematic or societal relevance. This content was found to contravene 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.