Parliamentary Panel Holds Discussion On Ways To Regulate Content On OTT Platforms

The parliamentary standing committee on information technology on Wednesday (13 January) held discussions regarding methods to regulate and impose reasonable restrictions on content on Over-the-Top (OTT) platforms, reports Economic Times.

The panel pondered over how content regulation may be achieved, given the sheer resources from which the content is received and curated in these platforms.

Prasoon Joshi, chief of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), reportedly defended the board's role to censor certain content from movies.

Joshi said that filmmakers readily agreed to change or ‘cut’ content if the board notify them of it violating the Indian laws or having the potential to hurt sentiments.

The writer-lyricist told the panel that major advancements in technology and emergence of OTT sites have left the Shyam Benegal Committee report on censorship largely redundant.

Members have reportedly apprised the panel that the Mudgal Committee’s report from 2013 that recommended moving from the censorship to a certification regime will be more in tune with the current times.

However, BJP MP from Jharkhand Nishikant Dubey advocated for some degree of regulation keeping in mind the country’s overall diversity and widespread sensitivities