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The government has prohibited around 25 well-known streaming services, including Ullu, ALTT, Desiflix, Big Shots, and others, due to worries about the broadcasting of indecent and sexually explicit content. As per official information, this decision was made after it was found that these services were hosting and sharing content labeled by officials as ‘soft porn’, breaching the country's IT Regulations and current obscenity laws. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) responded to several complaints and reports showing that the apps were reportedly spreading adult content under the name of "erotic web series" without proper content checks. The ban intends to limit the easy access to pornographic material, especially for minors, and to ensure that online content adheres to standards of decency and legality. The decision followed discussions with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD), Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Department of Legal Affairs (DoLA), organizations like FICCI and CII, and experts in women’s and child rights.
“By using the rules of the Information Technology Act, 2000 and the IT Regulations, 2021, notices have been sent to various intermediaries to make sure that access to the specific websites and apps is blocked,” the government announced in an official message. Priyanka Chaturvedi, a leader from Shiv Sena (UBT), who had previously expressed her concerns about Ajaz Khan’s latest reality show on Ullu app, praised the government for shutting down these platforms, calling it wonderful news. “This is wonderful news. I have been discussing these two apps -Ullu and Alt Balaji specifically for their content, and I had brought it up in the standing committee of Communication and IT. Happy to see @GoI_MeitY took notice and did what was necessary long ago,” she posted on X. In March, the ministry also banned 19 websites, 10 apps, and 57 social media accounts connected to 18 OTT platforms for sharing obscene and offensive content.
These OTT services include Dreams Films, Neon X VIP, MoodX, Besharams, Voovi, Mojflix, Yessma, Hunters, Hot Shots VIP, Fugi, Uncut Adda, Rabbit, Tri Flicks, Xtramood, Chikooflix, X Prime, Nuefliks, and Prime Play. “The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (I&B) has coordinated with several intermediaries to block 18 OTT platforms that are sharing obscene, vulgar, and sometimes pornographic content. Additionally, 19 websites, 10 apps (7 on Google Play Store, 3 on Apple App Store), and 57 social media accounts connected to these platforms have been disabled for public access in India,” the I&B Ministry stated in an official release. “Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting Shri Anurag Singh Thakur has consistently highlighted the duty of these platforms to refrain from spreading obscenity, vulgarity, and abuse under the cover of 'creative expression'. On 12th March, 2024, Shri Thakur declared that 18 OTT platforms sharing obscene and vulgar content have been removed,” it added.
