Parliamentary panel seeks action against OTT platforms violating norms

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information and Technology has asked the government to maintain a monthly record of the complaints against over-the-top (OTT) platforms and to identify those defaulting the most for action against them, people aware of the matter said.

The direction was issued at a meeting of the Shiv Sena lawmaker Prataprao Jadhav-led panel with officials from the information and broadcasting ministry on Monday.

The panel asked the officials about the measures the ministry has taken to check the airing of pirated content and checking piracy.

Issues related to piracy of movies, censorship, and complaints against OTT platforms such as Netflix and Hotstar were discussed at the two-hour-long meeting.

The panel suggested the government appoint a nodal officer to take offline complaints including in regional languages. “Not everyone can file a complaint in English. The process needs to become more accessible,” said an official.

The government is working on amending the Cinematograph Act to check film piracy more strictly. It is planning to introduce a provision wherein websites illegally uploading movies will be banned and taken down, HT reported in November last year.