The Ministry of Data 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 instances, pornographic materials.
The platforms in query, which embody Ullu, ALTT, Massive Pictures App, NeonX VIP, and Desiflix amongst others, have been discovered to be disseminating content material that violated a number of provisions of Indian regulation, together with Part 67 and 67A of the Data Know-how Act, Part 292 of the Indian Penal Code, and Part 4 of the Indecent Illustration of Ladies (Prohibition) Act, 1986.
A complete of 26 web sites and 14 cellular functions — 9 listed on Google Play Retailer and 5 on the Apple App Retailer — have been ordered to be disabled by intermediaries below provisions of the IT Act, 2000 and the IT (Middleman Pointers and Digital Media Ethics Code) Guidelines, 2021.
In keeping with the sources, the Ministry stated that a lot of the content material showcased by these platforms concerned graphic sexual innuendos, lengthy sequences of nudity, and pornographic visuals. “There was hardly any storyline, theme, or message in a social context,” it stated. Some content material was additionally discovered to depict inappropriate sexual conditions involving household relationships, additional aggravating considerations over legality and decency.
The federal government had a number of rounds of communication with the platforms. In September 2024, all 25 platforms had obtained official warnings. Previous to this, in February 2025, the Ministry had issued an advisory urging OTT platforms to adjust to India’s obscenity legal guidelines and the Code of Ethics prescribed below the IT Guidelines, 2021. But, the platforms allegedly continued to host and stream objectionable content material.
In a single notable instance, the sequence ‘Home Arrest’ hosted on the Ullu platform was taken down in Could following the Ministry’s intervention. Nevertheless, the federal government alleges that sure platforms have continued their operations by creating new domains even after earlier blocking orders–five such platforms reportedly resumed publishing comparable content material after being blocked in March 2024.
The newest motion was taken in session with the Ministry of House Affairs (MHA), Ministry of Ladies and Baby Growth (MWCD), Ministry of Electronics and Data Know-how (MeitY), the Division of Authorized Affairs (DoLA), business associations FICCI and CII, and topic specialists within the fields of ladies and baby rights.
Mentioning that beforehand the Digital Writer Content material Grievances Council (DPCGC), a self-regulatory physique headed by a former Supreme Court docket choose, discovered that content material in edited on ALTT was “completely distasteful and weird,” with intercourse and nudity being confirmed with none contextual justification.
Over 100 webseries faraway from ULLU
Over 100 webseries have been additionally faraway from the Ullu platform, with the council discovering that the platform eliminated or edited the wesbseries briefly after which uploads the unedited variations after some time to avoid the warnings.
A number of of the platforms had beforehand drawn the eye of the Nationwide Fee for Safety of Baby Rights (NCPCR), which flagged Ullu and ALTT for alleged violations in July and August 2024. The Ministry additionally obtained a number of public grievances in regards to the content material hosted on these platforms.
(with inputs from businesses)
