In a major crackdown, the Government of India has banned 25 OTT websites and apps for streaming vulgar, and in some cases, pornographic content. The banned platforms include ALTBalaji, ULLU, Big Shots App, and Dorsiflex, among others.
Photo: IANS
In a major crackdown, the Government of India has banned 25 OTT websites and apps for streaming vulgar, and in some cases, pornographic content. The banned platforms include ALTBalaji, ULLU, Big Shots App, and Dorsiflex, among others.
According to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, the action follows extensive consultations with the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of Women and Child Development, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, the Department of Legal Affairs (DoLA), industry bodies FICCI and CII, and experts in women and child rights.
Advertisement
The Ministry banned 26 websites and 14 apps, including nine on Google Play Store and five on Apple App Store. The list includes Big Shots App, Desiflix, Boomex, NeonX VIP, Navarasa Lite, Gulab App, Kangan App, Bull App, ShowHit, Jalva App, Wow Entertainment, Look Entertainment, Hitprime Fugi, Feneo, ShowX, Sol Talkies, Adda TV, ALTT, HotX VIP, Hulchul App, MoodX, Triflicks, Ullu, and Mojflix.
Advertisement
According to sources, the content on the banned apps and OTT platforms included sexual innuendos and, in some cases, long portions of sexually explicit scenes involving nudity, thereby being pornographic in nature. “There was hardly any storyline, theme, or message in a social context. A large portion of the content was obscene and vulgar,” the sources said.
The Ministry also took cognisance of the depiction of nudity and sex in several inappropriate contexts, including in family relationships. The sources said that the content of the platforms was in violation of Section 67 of the IT Act, Section 292 of the IPC, and Section 4 of the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986. Some platforms published sexually explicit content in violation of Section 67A of the IT Act.
The action follows references received by the authorities from the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) in July and August 2024 regarding the platforms Ullu and ALTT. Besides, multiple public grievances were submitted against the concerned platforms.
Earlier, following a diktat from the Ministry, Ullu had taken down its web series ‘House Arrest’ in May.
Despite communications issued to all 25 platforms in September 2024, they continued to publish obscene—and in some cases, pornographic—content.
It was also revealed that despite blocking five platforms in March last year, they continued to publish obscene content on new website domains. Regarding ALTT, the sources said that the Digital Publisher Content Grievances Council (DPCGC), headed by a former judge of the Supreme Court of India, found certain scenes to be totally distasteful and bizarre, where sex and nudity were shown without any contextual justification, just to boost viewership.
Further, more than 100 web series were removed from Ullu. However, it was found that while the platform temporarily removes or edits these web series, it later re-uploads or publishes the unedited version after a certain period, thereby attempting to circumvent the warnings, the sources added.
Advertisement
