The government on Wednesday clarified that content available on Over-the-Top (OTT) platforms does not fall under the jurisdiction of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) and is regulated separately under the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.
Responding to a question in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Dr L Murugan said the CBFC is a statutory authority established under the Cinematograph Act, 1952 for the examination and certification of cinematographic films meant for public exhibition, and its mandate does not extend to OTT content.
The Minister said OTT platforms are governed by Part III of the IT Rules, 2021, which lay down a Code of Ethics for digital media publishers. Under the Code, OTT platforms are required to avoid publishing content prohibited by law and to carry out age-based classification of content in accordance with the prescribed guidelines.
The IT Rules also provide for a three-tier institutional mechanism to ensure compliance with content-related norms and to address public grievances.
Under the framework, the first level involves self-regulation by publishers, while the second level consists of self-regulation by bodies formed by the publishers themselves. The third level provides an oversight mechanism by the Central Government.
Dr Murugan said that grievances related to OTT content are forwarded to the concerned platforms for appropriate action at the first level of the redressal mechanism, in line with the self-regulatory provisions of the IT Rules, 2021.
The information was provided in a written reply to a question raised by Dr M K Vishnu Prasad in the Lok Sabha.
