New IT Rules Put In Place Mechanism To Follow Ethics Code By OTT: Centre

It said the government was seized of the need for developing an institutional mechanism regarding regulation of audio visual content streamed on OTT platforms and was consulting the stakeholders over the past two years.

The centre informed the Supreme Court on Tuesday that the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 put in place an institutional mechanism for adherence of Digital Media Ethics Code by the OTT platforms. It said the government was seized of the need for developing an institutional mechanism regarding regulation of audio visual content streamed on OTT platforms and was consulting the stakeholders over the past two years. The IT Rules, 2021 also provides for self-classification of audio visual content of such platforms into five age-based categories for informed choice by viewers, it said. The centre said it has received several complaints/ representations from members of civil society, members of Parliament, Chief Ministers regarding the content of programmes being streamed on OTT platforms and the need for putting in place a mechanism to check content on these platforms.