In a sweeping move to curb the spread of obscene and vulgar content, the Indian Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (I&B) has blocked 18 OTT platforms, 19 websites, 10 apps, and 57 social media accounts.

What Happened: The Ministry of I&B announced the decision, citing the provisions of the Information Technology Act, 2000. The platforms were found guilty of publishing content that was obscene, vulgar, and in some instances, pornographic.

The list of blocked platforms includes 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. The content on these platforms was deemed offensive and inappropriate, particularly towards women.

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One of the OTT apps had more than 1 crore downloads, while two others had over 50 lakh downloads on the Google Play Store. The social media accounts associated with these platforms boasted a cumulative followership of over 32 lakh users.

This move comes as part of the Ministry’s ongoing efforts to regulate content on OTT platforms. The government has been conducting sensitization efforts with OTT platforms and their self-regulatory bodies under the IT Rules, 2021. The aim is to foster the growth and development of the OTT industry in India, while ensuring that the content adheres to the norms and standards set by the Information Technology Act.

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