Centre’s guidelines for social media, OTT platforms have ‘no teeth’: SC | India News – Times of India

[ad_1]

Read More/Less


NEW DELHI: Holding that the guidelines framed by Centre to prevent misuse of social media and OTT platforms will not be effective, the Supreme Court on Friday asked the Centre to consider framing of some stringent law and regulation.
A bench headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan, after going through the recently framed rules, said that it lacked teeth to deal with the problem and it is just in form of guidelines.

The court said that there should be some provision for prosecution for noncompliance of the rules and asked the solicitor general Tushar Mehta to consider bringing legislation to control contents of social media and OTT platforms..
Agreeing with SC suggestion, Mehta said that the government would certainly consider framing stringent law and the draft of the law would be placed before the court.
The bench, in the meanwhile, granted anticipatory bail to Amazon Prime India head Aparna Purohit who is apprehending arrest in the case lodged against her in Tandav controversy.
Purohit had approached the Supreme Court after the high court on February 25 declined to give her protection from arrest. UP police had filed an FIR against the top Amazon Prime executive for allegedly hurting religious sentiments.

The Supreme Court on Thursday had backed the push for “screening” of content being telecast on OTT platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime as some of the shows contained “pornography” and directed that the Centre’s recently-framed rules to regulate social media and OTT platform be placed before it.
Under the new rules, OTT platforms and digital media will be required to disclose information about where they publish, the nature of the contents they share as well as their subscriber data. They will also be required to set up a grievance redress mechanism. For regulation of OTT platforms, the government mandated that a self-regulation body, headed by a retired judge or an eminent person, should be set up, besides “age-gating” of the content.

[ad_2]

READ FULL ARTICLE HERE

Supreme Court: Even pornography is being shown on OTT platforms, some balance needed | India News – Times of India

[ad_1]

Read More/Less


NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court said on Thursday that there should be some screening of shows and web series being telecast on the over the top (OTT) platforms and asked the government to place recently framed regulation before it by tomorrow.
“Some regulation was needed as in some cases even pornography is being shown on such platforms and a balance has to be maintained,” the SC bench said.
The Supreme Court was hearing an appeal of the commercial head of Amazon Prime Video Aparna Purohit against the Allahabad high court order that denied anticipatory bail to her in the ongoing investigation over the web series ‘Tandav’.
The court will examine the Centre’s regulation and bail plea of Aparna Purohit tomorrow.

The government on February 25 notified new rules for social media and OTT platforms ostensibly to provide a level playing field to media platforms cutting across print, television and digital platforms, while adding that digital platforms doing business in India would have to follow the law of the land.
Under the new rules, the OTT platforms and Digital media will be required to disclose information about where they publish, the nature of the content they share as well as the size of their subscriber data. They will also be required to set up a grievance redressal mechanism.
For regulation of OTT platforms, the government mandated that a self-regulation body, headed by the retired judge or an eminent person, should be set up.
A separate oversight mechanism, as a third tier, has also been proposed.
‘Tandav’ case
The high court on February 25 declined to give protection from arrest to Purohit by dismissing the anticipatory bail application of her.
The Uttar Pradesh Police had filed an FIR against the top Amazon Prime executive for the derogatory depiction of Hindu deities and promoting religious enmity through the series.
‘Tandav’ actor Mohammad Zeeshan Ayyub, Purohit and the makers had approached the top court seeking protection from arrest on the FIRs registered against them for allegedly hurting religious sentiments and telecasting objectionable content.
(With inputs from agencies)

[ad_2]

READ FULL ARTICLE HERE