Ranveer Allahbadia controversy puts ’profane & explicit’ content under fire — time for stricter online rules?

Amid the recent Ranveer Allahbadia controversy, a recent survey found that a majority of people believe audio/video platforms in India are not adequately regulated by legislation. As many as 74 per cent of surveyed individuals say a code of conduct must be imposed on such content. 

Meanwhile, 59 per cent of surveyed citizens say video and audio platforms do not segregate explicit content, making it accessible to minors, according to the survey by Local Circles.

The survey asked respondents, “Do you use audio/ video streaming platforms for listening to or watching content?” Out of the individuals who responded to the question, 53 per cent said “yes” they watch content from audio/ video streaming platforms; 46 per cent stated “no” they don’t, and 1 per cent of respondents did not give a clear answer. In India, 1 in 2 individuals use streaming platforms to listen to or watch content.

Ranveer Allahbadia controversy

The survey comes after the Ranveer Allahbadia YouTube video controversy, where the popular social media personality, known for the BeerBiceps podcast, is facing heavy trolling and backlash after a video went viral from Samay Raina's YouTube show India's Got Latent, where he asked a contestant, “Would you rather watch your parents have sex for the rest of your life or would you join in once and stop it forever?”

Code of conduct needed

Nearly 74 per cent of surveyed individuals who use audio/video streaming platforms say they should follow a code of conduct while 39 per cent favour the government creating and administering such code.

The survey asked respondents, “How should a set of rules and regulations be created for audio/ video streaming platforms in India?”

Almost 35 per cent stated that “the industry should have a voluntary or self-governing set of rules/code of conduct”; 39 per cent of respondents stated that the “government should create rules & regulations and ensure compliance”; 20 per cent of respondents stated “no rules and regulations are needed for such platforms” and 6 per cent of respondents did not give a clear answer.

Currently, the Government of India, under the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code Rules 2021), is regulating the audio and video streaming platforms. However, the current regulation is insufficient and a lot more has to be done, according to the survey.

The study advocates the government to act on this issue as a top priority and update the code of regulations and enforce it such that platforms are held liable if they do not remove such content immediately.