ALTT, ULLU among over 20 OTT apps banned for 'indecent' representation of women

New Delhi: Websites and apps of 25 OTT platforms, including Ullu, ALTT, Desiflix and Hulchul, were blocked in the country on charges of broadcasting "obscene, vulgar and in some cases, pornographic content", sources said on Friday.

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting directed the blocking of these platforms, after consulting the Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Women and Child Development, MeiTY, Department of Legal Affairs (DoLA), industry bodies FICCI and CII, and experts in the field of women rights and child rights.

The banned platforms include Big Shots App, Boomex, Navarasa Lite, Gulab App, Kangan App, Bull App, Jalva App, Wow Entertainment, Look Entertainment, Hitprime, Feneo, ShowX, Sol Talkies, Adda TV, HotX VIP, MoodX, NeonX VIP, Fugi, Mojflix, and Triflicks, sources said.

The ban is aimed at curbing the easy availability of pornographic material, particularly to minors, and ensuring that digital content remains within the bounds of decency and the law, they said.

Sources said content of these platforms included sexual innuendos and in some cases long portions of sexually explicit scenes involving nudity thereby being pornographic in nature. There was hardly any storyline, theme or message in a social context and a large portion of the content was obscene and vulgar, sources said.

There was depiction of nudity and sex in several inappropriate contexts, including the relationships such as family relationships, they said. Some platforms published sexually explicit content in violation of the Section 67A of the IT Act.

The action came against the backdrop of references received from National Commission on Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) in July and August 2024, regarding the platforms Ullu and ALTT besides multiple public grievances against the platforms.

In May this year, web-series ‘House Arrest’ taken down by Ullu after intervention by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. In September last year, a communication was sent to all the 25 platforms, asking them not to transmit such programmes but they continued to publish obscene, in some cases pornographic content.

It was also found that five platforms which were blocked earlier in March 2024 started publishing obscene content on new website domains. Action also taken previously by Digital Publisher Content Grievances Council (DPCGC), a self-regulatory body headed by a former judge of the Supreme Court, and having membership of about 40 OTT platforms, including ALTT and Ullu.