Government Blocks 50 OTT Platforms in Two Years Over Obscene Content

The Centre’s assault on obscene OTT platforms

Over the past two years, the central government has officially disabled public access to 50 over-the-top (OTT) streaming platforms across India as part of a rigorous enforcement drive against the distribution of obscene, vulgar and explicit content.

The sweeping actions were confirmed in written disclosures tabled in the Lok Sabha by Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw and Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Dr. L. Murugan.

Legal basis, legal and regulatory frameworks

The targeted digital platforms were found to be in direct contravention of a number of stringent legal statutes governing public decency, online media and protection of societal standards in India:

• Sections 67 and 67A of the Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000 were invoked against the accused. These sections prescribe heavy penalties for publishing, hosting or transmitting obscene material and sexually explicit acts in electronic form.

• Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS): Section 294 had provision for punishment for obscene acts and songs in public.

• The Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986: Action was taken under Section 4 of the Act which prohibits publication or curation of any material that depicts women in an indecent or degrading manner.

• The IT Rules, 2021: The monitoring of digital content providers continues to be handled through the institutional Code of Ethics mechanism under Part III of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules.

Online Safety and Digital Wellbeing Expansion

Beyond immediate platform bans, the government's disclosures in Parliament reveal a broader, multi-layered approach to strengthening digital guardrails and safeguarding young users online:

• Faster Takedown Windows: The IT Rules have been amended to require social media platforms and digital intermediaries to act quickly to remove illegal content within three hours of getting an official court order or a well-reasoned direction from an authorised government agency.

• Child Privacy Protections: The regulatory framework is based on the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, 2023, which requires verifiable parental consent for processing children’s personal data and prohibits behavioural tracking and targeted advertising directed at minors.

• Addressing Digital Addiction: Based on recent administrative reviews on public health problems among youth aged 15-29, the government keeps promoting digital hygiene via nationwide awareness campaigns and institutional guidelines.