The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB), on Friday, July 25, ordered the blocking of 25 over-the-top (OTT) platforms for allegedly publishing obscene, vulgar and, in some cases, pornographic material.
The 25 OTT platforms in question, which includes ULLU, ALTT, Big Shots App, Desiflix among others, were found to to be distributing content that breached multiple provisions of the Indian law
Why the OTT platforms have been banned?
The OTT platforms have been banned, as much of the content on the platforms were largely explicit, and contained long sequences of nudity, and pornographic visuals, said sources from the Broadcasting Ministry.
"There was hardly any storyline, theme, or message in a social context," said the Ministry in a statement.
Some content was also found to depict inappropriate sexual situations involving family relationships, further aggravating concerns over legality and decency, PTI reported the sources as saying.
Previously, Digital Publisher Content Grievances Council (DPCGC) had criticised ALTT, stating that the app's content was "totally distasteful and bizarre," with sex and nudity being showed without any contextual justification.
Ahead of Friday's crackdown, the Broadcast Ministry in February, had also issued an advisory urging the OTT platforms to comply with India's obscenity laws and the Code of Ethics prescribed under the IT Rules, 2021. Yet, the platforms allegedly continued to host and stream objectionable content.
House Arrest controversy; show taken down
In May, ULLU platform's reality show ‘House Arrest’ was taken down after massive backlash over alleged explicit content and visuals in the web series.
In one clip that went viral from the controversial show, the host Ajaz Khan was seen allegedly pressuring women participants to engage in intimate acts on camera, despite their visible discomfort and repeated refusal.
A total of 100 web series have also been removed from the platform after the DPCC found that ULLU had either removed or edited the webseries' temporarily and then uploaded the unedited versions after a while to circumvent the warnings.
