Government Ban on Ullu, ALTT, Others for Objectionable Content
The government of India has made it clear once more that it strongly opposes offensive digital content as the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) has said it is banning 25 over-the-top (OTT) streaming services.
Government Bans Ullu, ALTT And Several Apps Over Objectionable Streaming Content
The government of India has made it clear once more that it strongly opposes offensive digital content as the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) has said it is banning 25 over-the-top (OTT) streaming services. The move has a huge implication on the application of streaming services such as Ullu and ALTT (previously AltBalaji) among others based on the allegation that they have been spreading material that is considered to be obscene, vulgar and in certain instances bathpornographic. The shift highlights the government in respecting the moral norm and ensuring that the vulnerable groups to the detrimental content, especially the minors, are safeguarded against the same.
Legilative Structure and Infringements-
The ban is carried out by the strict terms of the Information Technology Act, 2000, and the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. The move by the MIB came after consultation with various ministries such as the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of Women and Child Development among other legal experts in the country.
The materials that were discovered on these sites were found to be in contravention of several statutes in the Indian government:
Section 67 and 67A of the IT act 2000: These two provisions forbid the publication or transmission of obscene material and sexually explicit matter in electronic form.
Section 292 of the Indian Penal Code: It concerns the sale and distribution and exhibition of books, pamphlets, and other obscene objects.
Section 4 of Indecent Representations of women( prohibition) Act 1986: It is an act which prohibits any form of indecent representation of women.
According to the government sources, the content regularly contained graphic sexual innuendos, extended scenes of characters in sexually explicit situations with full nudity, and no real story or social significance at all in them. There had been some materials which were physically reported to be of inappropriate sexual situations of familial relations, making the matter even worse.
Prior Warnings and Repeat Offenders-
These platforms have been in the government’s sights before. The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) first flagged Ullu and ALTT in July and August 2024 for concerns with content. The MIB also issued a general advisory encouragement to all OTT platforms in February of this year to comply with the Code of Ethics under the IT Rules, 2021.
Despite the warnings and communications directly sent to all 25 platforms last September, officials said that there was a continued trend of posting objectionable content. Disturbingly, certain platforms that had been blocked in March 2024 appeared to come back under new domains and resume operating to avoid prior restrictions. This may have spurred the government to take more severe action to completely disable public access to those platforms and associated applications.
Consequences and Future Directions-
The Indian government’s ban of these OTT platforms foreshadows a greater commitment to regularizing the digital content space in India. While supporters herald it as an essential move to protect public morality and the interests of children, it has also re-ignited a conversation of censorship and artistic freedom.
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