On Thursday, the Information and Broadcasting Minister, Anurag Thakur, had a chat with representatives of OTT platforms and conveyed a clear message that the government would not tolerate the demeaning of Indian culture and society in the name of creative freedom.
Thakur also talked about how excessive Western influence has resulted in a negative portrayal of Indian culture and religion. He urged the representatives to come up with a solution within a fortnight.
In the meeting, Thakur also asked the representatives not to use their platforms for the sake of spreading hate or propaganda. Implications of a moral mode or ethics to set up a balance between creative freedom and responsible content were also discussed.
There was an emphasis on age-based classification, parental locks, and content descriptors to ensure an appropriate viewing experience.
Anurag Thakur later elaborated that most basic queries have been resolved by the OTT representatives. There will also be some self-regulatory bodies at level 2 to deal with further inconveniences.
Now, there is already a desire by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to control OTT platforms such as WhatsApp, Telegram, and Signal. The question that remains is whether the government will rely on moral and ethical judgements or take an active step in forming regulatory bodies for these platforms. If such bodies are formed, OTT will definitely lose its free spirit, it will lose its main essence.
