Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi on Friday welcomed the Centre’s decision to block 24 mobile apps and websites for allegedly hosting obscene and adult content, including Ullu and Alt Balaji.
Chaturvedi, who has consistently flagged these platforms in the Standing Committee on Communications and IT, posted on X, “This is great news. Had been talking about these two apps – Ullu and Alt Balaji in particular – for their content, had raised it in the standing committee. Glad @GoI_MeitY paid heed & did what was needed to be done long time ago!”
On May 1 she had tweeted “I have raised this in the standing committee that apps such as Ullu App and Alt Balaji have managed to escape the ban by the I&B Ministry on apps for obscene content. I am still awaiting their reply.”
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) has now directed all Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to restrict public access to 24 platforms for streaming adult and indecent content. The move was part of a broader crackdown involving MeitY, MHA, MWCD, DoLA, and digital content experts.
According to ANI, these platforms were found violating sections of the IT Act, 2000 (67, 67A), Section 294 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and The Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986.
The banned apps include ALTT, Ullu, Big Shots, Boomex, Desiflix, Feneo, Triflicks, Jalva App, HotX VIP, and others.
The government’s action is seen as a significant step towards regulating unchecked adult content on OTT platforms.
