Overview

• The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting blocked 43 services under the 2021 IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules after consultations with multiple ministries
• An advisory issued on February 19 recalled platforms’ obligations, supplementing warnings delivered in September 2024 and early 2025
• Authorities leveraged Section 79(3)(b) of the IT Act to direct intermediaries to remove access to unlawful content after platforms failed to comply with the code of ethics
• OTT platforms are mandated to self-classify content by age based on guidelines for depictions of nudity, sex and violence and to install safeguards to restrict minors’ access
• At least five services blocked in March 2024 resurfaced on new domains with similar obscene content, exposing enforcement gaps in domain-level bans