Govt blocks 25 OTT platforms for streaming obscene, vulgar content

The government has ordered the blocking of 25 Over the Top (OTT) platforms for airing obscene content, the information and broadcasting (I&B) ministry said on Friday. The platforms including Ullu, Gulab, Hulchul, MoodX, and Mojflix, among others, have ‘obscene, vulgar and in some cases pornographic content’, the ministry said in a statement.

The action to disable 26 websites and 14 apps have been taken in consultation with the ministries of home affairs, electronics and IT, and women and child development, and will be enforced through the Information Technology Act, 2000, and the IT Rules, 2021. The government finally cracked the whip on the 25 platforms after the I&B ministry had warned all of them back in September last year. Meanwhile, five platforms blocked earlier in March 2024, started publishing obscene content on new website domains, the ministry said.