18 OTT Platforms, 19 sites, 10 Apps, 57 Social Media Handles of OTT platforms blocked

Carrying obscene content in violation of IT Act, Indian Penal Code, and Indecent representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (I&B) in a major step in coordination with various intermediaries, blocked 18 OTT platforms publishing obscene, vulgar besides in some instances, pornographic content. 19 websites, 10 apps (7 on Google Play Store, 3 on Apple App Store), and 57 social media accounts associated with these platforms have also been disabled for public access in India.

Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting Anurag Singh Thakur have repeatedly been emphasizing the responsibility of platforms to not propagate obscenity, vulgarity and abuse under the guise of ‘creative expression’. On March 12, 2024, the Union minister announced taking down of 18 OTT platforms publishing obscene and vulgar content.

The decision was taken under the provisions of the Information Technology Act, 2000 in consultation with other Ministries/Departments of the Government of India, and domain experts specializing in media and entertainment, women’s rights, and child rights.

Nature of Content

A significant portion of the content hosted on these platforms was found to be obscene, vulgar, and portrayed women in a demeaning manner. It depicted nudity and sexual acts in various inappropriate contexts, such as relationships between teachers and students, incestuous family relationships, etc. The content included sexual innuendos and, in some instances, prolonged segments of pornographic and sexually explicit scenes devoid of any thematic or societal relevance.

The content was determined to be prima facie in violation of 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.

18 OTT Platforms blocked

The 18 OTT platforms blocked by Union ministry of Information & Broadcasting (I&B) 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.

Significant Viewership

One of the OTT apps amassed more than 1 crore downloads, while two others had over 50 lakh downloads on the Google Play Store. Additionally, these OTT platforms extensively utilized social media to disseminate trailers, specific scenes, and external links aimed at attracting audiences to their websites and apps. The social media accounts of the concerned OTT platforms had a cumulative followership of over 32 lakh users.