4 hrs ago
RSS Forms Panel to Seek Curbs on OTT Cultural Pollution
The RSS has created a group to study rules for shows and films on streaming apps.
The group says some OTT content is harmful to families and young people.
It wants the government to consider stronger controls, possibly like the censor board used for movies in theaters.
The group includes people connected with education and culture.
It has already held one meeting but has no announced deadline.
Its ideas may be sent to the Union Ministry of Culture and other government stakeholders.
OTT services already follow some rules under information technology and criminal laws.
The government also said it had blocked 50 OTT platforms over two years for alleged obscene content and legal violations.
The RSS has formed an informal panel to recommend measures against what it calls “cultural pollution” on OTT platforms.
The group includes former vice-chancellors and pracharaks involved in education and culture, and held its first meeting last month.
RSS sources said the panel may recommend a censor-like body and submit proposals to the Union Ministry of Culture and other government stakeholders.
The initiative followed RSS feedback from Kutumb Prabodhan, which promotes traditional family values and social harmony.
OTT content is currently governed mainly by the 2021 IT rules and related laws; the government said 50 platforms had been disabled over two years for alleged violations.
- Who
- The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, including former vice-chancellors and pracharaks involved in education and culture.
- What
- An informal panel has been formed to recommend ways to regulate alleged “cultural pollution” on OTT platforms.
- Where
- The panel’s proposal is expected to be submitted to the Union Ministry of Culture and other central government stakeholders in India.
- When
- The panel was established a few months before the report and held its first meeting last month; Mohan Bhagwat raised the issue on October 12, 2024.
- Why
- RSS sources say OTT content contributes to moral corruption and affects families and young people.
Stronger OTT regulation advocates
Existing regulatory framework
Need for a censor-like body
Stronger OTT regulation advocates
RSS sources say OTT platforms are contributing to moral corruption and that a body similar to the film censor board is needed to protect families and young people.
Existing regulatory framework
OTT content already operates under the 2021 digital-media rules and related IT and criminal laws, while the article does not report a formal response from OTT platforms.
How regulation should develop
Stronger OTT regulation advocates
The RSS panel is expected to recommend measures to the government after consulting people with legal expertise and other stakeholders.
Existing regulatory framework
The existing framework relies mainly on digital-media rules and legal provisions; the government has also used these laws to disable platforms accused of violations.
Key facts
- Panel status
- Informal group formed a few months before the report; its first meeting took place last month.
- Proposed approach
- The RSS source said the group is considering something like a censor board for OTT content.
- Expected recipients
- The proposal may go to the Union Ministry of Culture and other central government stakeholders.
- RSS criticism
- Mohan Bhagwat described some OTT content as disgusting and linked it to moral corruption in his October 12, 2024 address.
- Current framework
- OTT content is governed mainly by the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, and related IT and criminal laws.
- Government action
- L. Murugan told the Lok Sabha that 50 OTT platforms had been disabled for public access in India over two years.
- Stated violations
- The government cited obscene content and alleged violations of the IT Act, Section 294 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986.
Quotes
An RSS source
An unnamed source in the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh
“This is an informal group and a proposal will be made which will ultimately be submitted to the Union Ministry of Culture and other stakeholders in the central government to deal with the dirt coming out on OTT platforms.”
indianexpress.com
“The kind of things shown on OTT platforms are so disgusting that talking about it too would be indecent… There is a need to regulate it through law because it is also one of the big reasons for moral corruption.”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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