Online media, social sites brought under govt control
12 Nov 2020
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The government on Monday announced new regulations bringing online news portals and content providers such as Netflix under the information and broadcasting ministry. The new regulations, signed by President Ram Nath Kovind, will also apply to news on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
While there are specialist regulators for the print and electronic media, at present, there is no law or autonomous body to regulate digital content.
The Press Council of India monitors the print media, the News Broadcasters Association (NBA) takes care of news channels, the Advertising Standards Council of India regulates advertising while the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) takes care of films.
The decision to regulate digital content follows last month’s Supreme Court notice to the centre seeking response on a petition for regulating OTT platforms by an autonomous body. The top court also issued notices to the ministry of information and broadcasting and internet and Mobile Association of India.
OTT platforms include news portals and also streaming services such as Hotstar, Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, which are accessible over the internet or ride on an operator's network.
