ALTBalaji, ULLU, Big Shots and other apps banned by the Centre for hosting obscene and adult content

ALTBalaji, ULLU, Big Shots App, Desiflix are some of the apps that have been banned by the central government for allegedly hosting vulguar, obscene and adult content. The Central Government has banned some OTT apps as well as certain websites.The action is part of an ongoing effort to regulate digital platforms and prevent the circulation of explicit material online.

Which apps and websites have been banned by the Centre?

25 such apps have been banned by the Centre. The banned apps include:

• Boomex
• Navarasa Lite
• Big Shots App
• Gulab App
• Kangan App
• Bull App
• Jalva App
• Wow Entertainment
• Look Entertainment
• Hitprime
• Feneo
• ShowX
• Sol Talkies
• Adda TV
• HotX VIP
• Hulchul App
• MoodX
• NeonX VIP
• Fugi
• Mojflix
• Triflicks

What Laws Were These Platforms Found Violating?

These have been found in violation of various laws, including Section 67 and Section 67A of the Information Technology Act, 2000, Section 294 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and Section 4 of the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986.

The government has explicitly directed Internet Service Providers to disable or remove public access to these websites within India.

Why Did the Government Ban These OTT Apps and Websites?

Earlier this year, in April, the Supreme Court issued notices to major digital platforms and the Centra after a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed seeking action against the streaming of sexually explicit content on OTT and social media platforms. The notice was served to the Centre, Netflix, Amazon Prime, ULLU, ALTT, X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and others.

According to news agency PTI, the bench comprising Justices B R Gavai and Augustine George Masih acknowledged that the petition raised a significant concern but stated that the matter did not fall under their purview. "It's not our domain, you do something," the Supreme Court observed.