Indian Govt blocks 18 OTT apps that promoted obscene and vulgar shows, movies

The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (I&B) blocked 18 Over-the-top (OTT) platforms that promoted obscene, vulgar, and pornographic content. The government body has disabled 19 websites, 10 apps, and 57 social media accounts associated with these platforms. This decision was taken under the provisions of Section 67 and Section 67A of the Information Technology Act, 2000.

Complete list of blocked OTT apps

— Dreams Films

— Neon X VIP

— MoodX

— Voovi

— Besharams

— Mojflix

— Yessma

— Hunters

— Hot Shots VIP

— Uncut Adda

— Rabbit

— Fugi

— Tri Flicks

— Xtramood

— Chikooflix

— X Prime

— Nuefliks

— Prime Play

“A significant portion of the content hosted on these platforms was found to be obscene, vulgar, and portrayed women in a demeaning manner. It depicted nudity and sexual acts in various inappropriate contexts, such as relationships between teachers and students, incestuous family relationships, etc. The content included sexual innuendos and, in some instances, prolonged segments of pornographic and sexually explicit scenes devoid of any thematic or societal relevance,” noted the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (I&B) in a statement.

These apps were blocked since the content was considered to be violating Section 67 and Section 67A of the IT Act, Section 292 of the Indian Penal Code, and Section 4 of the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986.

This is a prima facie case meaning that the action was based on first impressions but can be challenged by the app makers, followed by lifting the ban — provided that the defendants have evidence to dispute in the first place.

Some of these apps had downloads exceeding 50 lakh on the Google Play Store, with one of the OTT apps having 1 crore downloads. These apps are accused of extensively using social media to promote trailers of their obscene films and shows to allure the audience.

The social media accounts of these apps had a cumulative followership of over 32 lakh. Out of the 57 disabled social media accounts associated with these platforms, 12 were Facebook accounts, 17 were Instagram handles, 16 were X (formerly Twitter) profiles, and 12 were YouTube channels. All of them have been disabled, as per the Indian government.

While the government has blocked these many apps, it has also put efforts to encourage the growth and development of OTT platforms. It introduced the inaugural OTT Award for Web Series in 2023 at the 54th International Film Festival of India.