1. The government blocks 18 OTT platforms for hosting obscene content.
2. Ministry of Information and Broadcasting disables 19 websites, 10 apps, and 57 social media accounts.
3. Action taken under the Information Technology Act, 2000, despite prior warnings.
New Delhi, March 14: The government took stringent action on Thursday, blocking 18 OTT platforms for hosting obscene and pornographic content, despite repeated warnings. This decision was made under the provisions of the Information Technology Act, 2000.
As a result, 19 websites, 10 apps (7 on Google Play Store, 3 on Apple App Store), and 57 associated social media accounts were also disabled by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B), as stated in an official announcement.
Despite previous warnings against promoting obscenity, vulgarity, and abuse under the guise of “creative expression,” the platforms continued to violate these guidelines. Consequently, the government deemed it necessary to take decisive action to protect public decency and morality.
The banned OTT platforms 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.
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According to the government’s statement, a significant portion of the content on these platforms depicted women in a demeaning manner, often portraying nudity and sexual acts in inappropriate contexts such as relationships between teachers and students, and incestuous family relationships.
Moreover, the content frequently featured sexual innuendos and prolonged segments of pornographic and sexually explicit scenes, devoid of any thematic or societal relevance.
This justification supported the government’s decision to block these platforms, reflecting its commitment to maintaining moral standards and safeguarding public values in the digital space.