The government took decisive action on Thursday against a total of 18 ‘over-the-top’ (OTT) streaming platforms, citing concerns over the dissemination of “obscene, vulgar, and, in certain cases, pornographic material.” This move, announced through an official statement by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (I&B), resulted in the suspension of 19 websites, 10 applications, and 57 associated social media accounts within India. Notably, seven of the banned applications were accessible via the Google Play Store, while three were found on the Apple App Store.
According to the press release, this decision was made under the legal framework provided by the Information Technology Act, 2000, following consultations with various governmental bodies and domain experts in media, entertainment, women’s rights, and child rights advocacy.
Among the banned platforms are:
- 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
- Prime Play
The government expressed its concern that the content hosted on these platforms often depicted women in a derogatory manner, with sexually suggestive material and explicit scenes lacking thematic or societal significance. Such content violates various provisions including 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.
Of the banned platforms, one had accumulated approximately 10 million downloads, while two others had nearly 5 million downloads each on the Google Play Store. It was noted that these platforms heavily relied on social media for promotion, utilizing trailers, specific scenes, and external links to attract audiences to their platforms. The collective followership of the banned OTT platforms on social media exceeded 3 million users.
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