New Delhi: The central government on Friday banned 25 OTT platforms for broadcasting pornographic content, alleging that these platforms were showing obscene and objectionable videos under the guise of entertainment.
The government has issued a notification instructing Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to block these OTT apps and websites. The list includes popular platforms such as ALTT, Ullu and Desi Flix.
ALTT was launched in April 2017 by film and television producer Ekta Kapoor, while Ullu was created in 2018 by Vibhu Agrawal, a graduate from IIT Kanpur.
In March 2024, the government had banned 18 OTT platforms for similar reasons, also blocking 19 websites, 10 apps and 57 social media handles.
The ban on these OTT platforms has been enforced under four laws. Under Section 67 of the IT Act, 2000, publishing or spreading obscene content online is a legal offence, while Section 67A prohibits posting videos or content related to sexual activity.
Section 294 of the BNS, 2023 makes obscene acts or the use of filthy words in public places punishable, and under Section 4 of the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986, depicting women in an obscene or derogatory manner is a legal offence.
