Government Warns OTT Platforms Against Inadvertent Promotion of Drugs

The government has cautioned OTT platforms of further regulatory scrutiny if they are found streaming content that inadvertently promotes, glamourises, or glorifies the use of drugs through the main protagonist and other actors without disclaimers or user warnings.

In an advisory to OTT platforms, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said, “Such a portrayal has serious repercussions, particularly regarding the potential influence on young and impressionable viewers.”

Citing the Code of Ethics for OTT platforms, the advisory asked them to exercise due diligence in content review and issue disclaimers or user warnings for any programming that depicts drug use.

"OTT platforms are requested to conform to these guidelines voluntarily in the larger public interest. Non-compliance may result in further regulatory scrutiny, especially in the light of the provisions of the Information Technology Act, 2000 read with the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS), 1985," the advisory said.

The Code of Ethics for OTT platforms provides that a publisher shall not transmit, publish, or exhibit any content prohibited under any law for the time being in force or by any court of competent jurisdiction.

The advisory has also been shared with the self-regulatory bodies of OTT platforms.

The government’s latest instruction to OTT platforms adds to the list of objectionable things they are expected to censor. Previously, the Ministry of Broadcasting and Information discussed voluntary scrutiny by online streaming platforms, urging them to remove content that depicts child abuse and child pornography. The government has also asked the platforms to label content according to the audience it is safe to watch alongside mentioning the minimum age for viewers. For instance, labelling content ‘A’ for an audience aged at least 18.