Vulgar content is punishable, Govt issues advisory to OTT platforms

All OTT platforms have been directed to refrain from transmitting obscene, vulgar content. As per Govt advisory  such content is a punishable offence under several laws, including Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita, POCSO Act & IT Act.The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting issued an advisory to online curated content publishers and self-regulatory bodies of OTT platforms, to ensure strict adherence to India’s laws and the Code of Ethics prescribed in the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media, Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.

The Supreme Court advocated for the regulation of obscene content on YouTube, the government on Thursday instructed OTT platforms to strictly adhere to the ethics code amid the vulgar joke row on the now shut 'India's Got Latent' show.The Centre's move came after the top court on Tuesday stressed that "there was a need to do something", and that YouTubers were misusing the lack of regulation on online platforms.