NEW DELHI — The conservative Hindu nationalist government of Narendra Modhi has blocked 18 social media platforms in India, claiming they “promoted obscenity and vulgarity under the guise of ‘creative expression.’”
The targeted streaming platforms — dubbed “OTT” after the term “over the top” — are Dreams Films, Voovi, Yessma, Uncut Adda, Tri Flicks, X Prime, Neon X VIP, Besharams, Hunters, Rabbit, Xtramood, Nuefliks, MoodX, Mojflix, Hot Shots VIP, Fugi, Chikooflix and Prime Play.
The Modhi government is accusing the platforms of the crime of “depicting nudity and sexual acts.”
Although many of India’s multiple cultures, including Hinduism, have openly depicted nudity and sexual acts for millennia, current conservative ideologues support the country’s extreme censorship laws against sexual expression. These attitudes originated in the 19th century with imported Victorian notions under the British Empire, which shamed Indians for their openness about sex.
The 18 OTT platforms were blocked “for obscene and pornographic content despite multiple warnings,” India Toda reported.
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said in a statement that it was enforcing the 2000 Information Technology Act, and that the crackdown also included 19 websites, 10 apps — seven on Google Play Store, three on Apple App Store — and 57 social media accounts associated with the targeted platforms.
According to the government, the now-censored streamed content “depicted nudity and sexual acts in various inappropriate contexts, such as relationships between teachers and students, incestuous family relationships, etc.” as well as “sexual innuendos and, in some instances, prolonged segments of pornographic and sexually explicit scenes devoid of any thematic or societal relevance.”
As has been standard in recent government and media reports in India about accusations of “obscenity,” no distinction is made between targeted content featuring explicit or simulated sex.