OTT platforms will not be allowed to demean Indian culture: Anurag Thakur
The Union Minister asked OTT players to not use their platforms to spew ideological biases or propagandas.
Anurag Thakur, Minister of Information and Broadcasting, has told OTT players that the government will not permit insulting Indian culture and society in the name of artistic freedom. According to those present at the conference, Thakur made this statement while speaking with representatives of OTT platforms. Discussions also focused on imposing criminal penalties for OTT platform infractions, bolstering the current grievance resolution process, addressing issues with the accuracy of India’s map representation, and stopping digital piracy.
The minister drew attention to the OTTs’ overtly Western influences and negative portrayals of Indian beliefs and traditions, and he requested the representatives to come up with their suggested fixes within a fortnight. The minister further asked that OTT players refrain from using their venues to spread hate speech and slanted ideologies.
The representatives of OTT platforms also discussed a balance between creative freedom and responsible material, along with other problems including the creation of a code of ethics. Anurag Thakur said on his Twitter handle, “OTT players have a responsibility of ensuring that their platform does not propagate vulgarity and abuse camouflaged as ‘creative expression’.”
During the discussion for the Code of Ethics to strengthen content regulation, age-based verification, parental control, and content descriptors were emphasized to make sure the content is being watched by the appropriate audience. The OTT platforms were told to identify potential violations by reviewing the scripts and coming out with more family-friendly content.
The important subject of digital piracy and the protection of intellectual property rights was also discussed at the meeting, and Thakur said that rogue websites engaged in the illicit recording and transmission of content were being targeted for action. The Cinematograph Bill has provisions to combat piracy and take action against websites engaging in the unauthorised broadcast of intellectual information, and it is expected to be discussed and passed during the Monsoon Session.
