Centre Takes Down 25 Apps for Hosting Vulgar and Pornographic Content, Issues Warning to Digital Platforms

Mumbai(The Uttam Hindu): The Indian government has banned several OTT platforms, including ALTBalaji, ULLU, Big Shots App and Desiflix, for allegedly hosting obscene, vulgar and pornographic content. A total of 18 OTT platforms, 19 websites, 10 apps and 57 social media accounts have been blocked nationwide.

Banned OTT Platforms:

The 25 apps banned by the government include ALTT, ULLU, Big Shots App, Desiflix, Boomex, Navarasa Lite, Gulab App, Kangan App, Bull App, Jalva App, Wow Entertainment, Look Entertainment, Hit Prime, Feneo, ShowX, Sol Talkies, Adda TV, HotX VIP, Hulchal App, MoodX, NeonX VIP, ShowHit, Fugi, Mojflix and Triflicks.

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting emphasized that the platforms had crossed the line with their content, which was deemed to be in violation of the IT Act, IPC, and Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act. One of the banned OTT apps had over 1 crore downloads, while two others had over 50 lakh downloads on Google Play Store.

This crackdown is part of the government's ongoing effort to regulate digital platforms and prevent the circulation of explicit material online. The National Commission for Women (NCW) had previously flagged ULLU's content, criticizing its portrayal of women and warning of possible regulatory action.

Many allegations have been leveled against these apps. These include showing pornographic videos and web series, targeting underage users, providing content without age verification, violating data safety and privacy rules, going against the IT Act and Information Broadcasting Rules, etc. These apps will be removed from Playstore and App Store. Strict action will be taken against platforms that do not follow the laws. The government says that clean content will be the priority in the digital space.

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