OTT (over-the-top) streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video are facing pressure to comply with the Information Technology Rules, 2021, and exercise further restraint in streaming mature content. This is despite the fact that two High Courts have stayed provisions of the IT Rules that require them to appoint a grievance officer and take down content when ordered to do so by a self-regulatory body.
The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting has issued two advisories on the issue. The first told streaming platforms in February 2022 to ensure that a grievance officer’s details are made publicly available on their websites; the second, issued on March 24 this year, warned streaming platforms to exercise “abundant precaution in ensuring that films and web-series… do not fall [a]foul of the… Code of Ethics” laid out in the IT Rules.