Govt to ensure strict action against obscenity and abuse on OTT content: IB Min Anurag Thakur

Currently, OTT platforms have more liberty over their screening practices in the absence of censorship, because it only requires them to comply with self-classification of the content with the appropriate content descriptor.

Now, Anurag Thakur has said that the government is serious about the complaints it has received on the increasing number of obscene content on OTT platforms. He also claimed that they might enforce some changes to the rules, if need be.

“Abusing in the name of creativity will not be tolerated. Government is serious about complaints of increasing abusive and obscene content on OTT platforms. If there is a need to make any changes in the rules regarding this, the ministry will consider in that direction as well,” Anurag Thakur told the press in Nagpur.

“These platforms were given freedom for creativity, not obscenity or abusing. And when someone crosses a limit, then abusing, rudeness in the name of creativity cannot be accepted at all. Whatever necessary action needs to be taken on this, the government will not back down from it,” he added.

Amid a rise in complaints, Anurag Thakur explained that at the first level, the producer has to remedy the situation.

“After that the complaints are resolved at the level of their association, then most of the complaints are resolved there. When it comes to the level of the government, then strict action is taken at the level of the departmental committee, according to whatever rules are in place. But somewhere complaints have started increasing in the last few days and the department is taking it very seriously. We will think seriously if we have to make some changes on this,” the Minister added.

For the time being, there is no censor board for OTT content. The first time an attempt to censor OTT content was made by the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 (IT Rules). It envisaged the creation of a three-tier grievance redressal mechanism, including a government body at the third level.

Notably, India’s OTT viewership stands at 43 million people and is projected to rise up to 50 million by the end of 2023. OTT platforms gained prominence mostly in the times of Covid when cinema halls were shut and people could watch latest movies and show at their homes, thanks to OTT. But the rising popularity of OTT platforms hosting a wide variety of content has often raised issues regarding its regulations.