Even as India’s top court, parliament, lawmakers and average people berate gutter-level utterances by celebrity social media influencers and podcasters in digital shows, the government yesterday cautioned OTT platforms, putting out curated content, to stick to Code of Ethics as enshrined in rules and regulations

“…it is advised that the OTT platforms adhere to the various provisions of applicable laws andthe Code of Ethics prescribed under IT Rules, 2021 while publishing content on their platforms, including stricter adherence of the age based classification of content prescribed under the Code of Ethics,” an advisory issued by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (MIB) stated yesterday.

It also exhorted the self-regulatory bodies, formed by streamers as mandated by rules, to take “appropriate proactive action for violation of Code of Ethics by the platforms”.

In the last 12 months or so, this is the second advisory put out by the government cautioning the OTT platforms against crossing the red lines of content that are more part of self-regulation, though the codes do lay out some broad parameters for curated content.

What prompted the recent advisory? MIB said it has “received references” and grievances from Members of Parliament, statutory organizations and the general public regarding “allegedspread of obscene, pornographic and vulgar content published by certain publishers of online curated content  and social media”.

The advisory quoted from the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media, Ethics Code) Rules 2021 and other relevant laws to point out that regulations do mandate a three level institutional mechanism for redressal ofgrievances relating to violation of the Code of Ethics, apart from the responsibility of publishers to undertake age-based classification of content and implementation of accesscontrol mechanisms for ‘A’ rated content to restrict access to under age kids.

Recent developments on a YouTube show, hosted by influencers, who were poster boys of content creators till some months back, has got the nation’s attention that wanted to know why questionable and indecent content was allegedly floating around in the digital realm that’s now even being accessed by kids.

The Supreme Court yesterday while granting interim protection from arrest in the police reports registered against podcaster-influencer Ranveer Allahbadia for his comments on a YouTube show, barred him from airing “any show” till further orders, adding his conduct showed “lack of responsibility” and was “condemnable”.

“There is something that is dirty in his mind that has been vomited by way of this programme… The words you have chosen, parents will feel ashamed, daughters and sisters will feel ashamed, brothers will feel ashamed, entire society will feel ashamed, the pervert mind and the perversion you and your henchmen have exhibited,” observed Justice Surya Kant, presiding over a two-Judge bench that included Justice N K Singh, according to a report in The Indian Express.