Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Dr L Murugan has said that  OTT content will continue to remain outside the jurisdiction of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). In a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, Dr Murugan said that OTT content is regulated under the provisions of Part III of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. He said the Code of Ethics requires OTT platforms to avoid publishing content prohibited by law and undertake age-based classification of content as per the guidelines in the Rules. He informed that these Rules also outline a three-tier institutional mechanism for ensuring adherence to content-related norms and for addressing public grievances.

 

 

They include Self-regulation by the publishers, Self-regulation by the self-regulating bodies of the publishers and Oversight mechanism by the Central Government. Dr Murugan informed that the grievances related to OTT content are duly forwarded to the concerned OTT platforms for appropriate action under the Level-I of the redressal mechanism whch is self-regulation by the publishers. He also said that the Central Board of Film Certificationis a statutory authority established under the Cinematograph Act, 1952, for examining and certifying cinematographic films for public exhibition.

 

 

In reply to another question, Dr Murugan said that the policies of the Government are aimed at ensuring an Open, Safe and Trusted and Accountable Internet for its users, including women and children. He informed that the Government is committed to ensuring that the Internet in India is free from any form of unlawful content or information, particularly vulgar and obscene content. He said the IT Act and the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, together have put in place a stringent framework to deal with unlawful and harmful content in the digital space. It imposes clear obligations on intermediaries to ensure accountability. The Minister informed that the Government has so far disabled public access in India for 43 OTT platforms for displaying obscene content.