OTT Platform Content To Stay Outside CBFC Jurisdiction; Here's What Govt Said
The Centre clarified that OTT content will not come under the Central Board of Film Certification’s jurisdiction and will continue to be governed by the IT Rules, 2021. Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting L. Murugan said CBFC’s authority is limited to certifying cinematographic films, stressing self-regulation for digital platforms.
OTT Platform Content To Stay Outside CBFC Jurisdiction, Centre Tells Parliament | Unsplash.com
New Delhi: The Centre on Wednesday (December 17) said that the content streamed on Over-The-Top (OTT) platforms will not fall under the jurisdiction of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), highlighting the need for self-regulation. The Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 will continue to regulate the OTT content.
Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Dr L Murugan, while responding to a question of a Congress Lok Sabha MP MK Vishnu Prasad, said the CBFC is a statutory authority with its jurisdiction limited to examining and certifying cinematographic films.
As per the IT Rules, these platforms are required to follow a Code of Ethics, which includes not to publish content prohibited by law.
"Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) is a statutory authority established under the Cinematograph Act, 1952 for examining and certifying cinematographic films for public exhibition. OTT content is regulated under the provisions of Part III of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021," the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said in a statement.
"The Code of Ethics requires OTT platforms to avoid publishing content prohibited by law and undertake age-based classification of content as per the guidelines in the Rules," it added.
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The Ministry said that the ‘Three-Tier Institutional Mechanism’ under the IT Rules will remain in place for ensuring adherence to content-related norms and for addressing public grievances.
What is the Three-Tier Mechanism?
Level I: Self-regulation by the publishers
Level II: Self-regulation by the self-regulating bodies of the publishers
Level III: Oversight mechanism by the Central Government
Notably, the grievances related to OTT content are duly forwarded to the concerned OTT platforms for appropriate action under Level I of the redressal mechanism, viz. self-regulation by the publishers, provided under the IT Rules, 2021.
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