NGO Calls for Ban on OTT Platforms Over Obscene Content

An NGO led by Uday Mahurkar demands a ban on OTT platforms and social media for allegedly broadcasting obscene content. The Save Culture Save Bharat Foundation wants the Digital India Bill to address this issue and proposes the establishment of a National Content Control Authority to regulate online content.

In a bold move, the NGO led by former information commissioner Uday Mahurkar, has demanded a ban on popular OTT platforms and social networking sites, citing concerns over sexually explicit and obscene content.

The Save Culture Save Bharat Foundation, spearheaded by Mahurkar, alleges that these platforms are indulging in 'unlawful acts' that threaten to undermine India's cultural heritage.

They have called for the inclusion of stringent provisions in the upcoming Digital India Bill, aimed at immediately banning any propagation of 'sexually-perverted content'.

In addition, Mahurkar has urged the government to establish a National Content Control Authority and amend the IT Act to link access to online content with Aadhaar, in an ambitious bid to make India the world's first nation free from pornographic content.

During a press conference, Mahurkar accused OTT and social networking platforms of facilitating easy access to pornographic material for millions of Indian children.

He highlighted the increased usage of mobile devices by children for educational purposes in the post-Covid era, which inadvertently exposes them to explicit content from platforms like X and Netflix.

Mahurkar criticized the government's IT Rules of 2021 as ineffective in controlling the content on OTT platforms, noting that these platforms have representatives on the Digital Publisher Content Grievance Council, which ostensibly addresses public grievances.

He strongly advocated for the upcoming Digital India Bill to incorporate measures that would ban content providers and aggregators failing to curb the streaming of pornographic content.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)