MIB to regulate OTT, online news portals’ content

As per a Cabinet Secretariat notification, online news and current affairs portals as well as online content providers have been brought under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB). The notification, which was signed by the President of India, was issued on Monday.

The notification stated, “In the Government of India (Allocation of Business) Rules, 1961, in The Second Schedule, under the heading ‘Ministry of Information and Broadcasting’ (Soochana Aur Prasaran Mantralaya) after entry 22, the following sub-heading and entries shall be inserted, namely:

VA Digital/ Online Media

22A. Films and Audio-Visual programmes made available by online content providers

22B. News and current affairs content on online platforms.”

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Currently, digital and online media is not regulated by any law or independent or government body, whereas there are autonomous bodies that look after other media such as advertising (Advertising Standards Council of India), news broadcasters (News Broadcasters Association), and print media (Press Council of India).

It may be recalled that in September this year, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) had stated that no regulatory interventions were required in respect of issues related with Privacy and security of OTT services at the moment.

A month later in October, the Supreme Court, while hearing a PIL for setting up an independent body for regulating content on video streaming platforms, sought the centre’s response and issued notices to the centre, MIB and the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI).