NEW DELHI, Dec 7: The government has informed parliament that regulatory bodies have received seventy-three complaints regarding obscene and vulgar advertisements on private television channels over the past three years.
In a written response during the Rajya Sabha session, L Murugan, the Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, indicated that these complaints were addressed through a three-tier grievance resolution system.
Murugan elaborated that this system, established under the Cable Television Networks (Amendment) Rules, consists of self-regulation by broadcasters, self-regulatory organizations of the broadcasters, and an oversight mechanism from the Central Government.
He also mentioned that appropriate measures are taken whenever violations of the Advertising Code are detected, which may include issuing “Advisories, Warnings, ‘Apology Scroll’ Orders, and Off-air orders.”
In response to another question, Murugan stated that OTT platforms must comply with the Code of Ethics as outlined in Part-III of the IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.
“These codes are self-regulatory in nature,” the Minister explained.
According to Murugan, the Code of Ethics mandates that publishers avoid transmitting any content that is legally prohibited and conduct age-based self-classification of content into five categories, in accordance with general guidelines established in the Rules.
He noted that in performing this self-classification, publishers should take into consideration the context of the time period portrayed in the content and the contemporary standards of the country and its people.
Murugan concluded by stating that the Code also stipulates that OTT platforms must implement adequate safeguards to restrict age-inappropriate content for children. (PTI)
