The central government has once again taken strict action against online streaming platforms. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has completely blocked five such OTT platforms on which obscene, objectionable and porn-like content was being shown. This step has been taken to enforce ethical and legal standards on digital platforms. Officials say that if violations continue, strict action will be taken further.
Only pornographic content shown without social message
According to ministry officials, such films and web series were running on these platforms, which contained long scenes of complete nudity, scenes showing explicit sexual relations and only pornographic content without any story or social message. The names of these platforms are MoodXVIP, Koyal Playpro, Digi Movieplex, Feel and Jugnu. The government clearly says that this material violates public decency and is against Indian laws.
How did the government crack down on the platforms?
This ban has been imposed under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act 2000. Through this section, the government gets the right to block any content on the Internet, especially when it threatens public morality, national security or decency. Besides, the Digital Media Ethics Code Rules 2021 have also been cited.
The government has ordered all internet service providers that these platforms should no longer open on any device. Be it Jio, Airtel, Vodafone-Idea or any other company. Access to these platforms has been completely blocked.
Warnings given many times before
The ministry had issued notices to these platforms in September 2024. Many platforms did not respond to the notice and some continued running the same obscene content by changing names or domains. In March 2024 also, five similar websites and apps were blocked, but they came back with new names. Even in February 2025, all OTT platforms were reminded to follow the code of ethics, but some platforms did not make improvements.
This time, before taking action, the government also consulted the Home Ministry, Women and Child Development Ministry, Electronics and Information Technology Ministry, Law Ministry, industry organizations like FICCI-CII and experts on women and child rights. Everyone unanimously said that it is necessary to stop such material immediately.
Platforms like Ullu and Alt Balaji closed
Due to this, in July 2025, the government had blocked 25 OTT apps and websites, which included OTT platforms like ALTBalaji, ULLU, Big Shots App, Desiflix, Boomex, Navarasa Lite and Gulab App. They also had the same complaint that there were scenes full of unnecessary sexual innuendo, nudity and obscene material.
The government’s clear objective with this action is to maintain standards of morality and decency on digital platforms. The interests of children, women and society should be protected. Officials say that despite repeated warnings, these platforms were ignoring the notices and running content in new ways. Now this route has also been completely closed.
