Desk: The government has taken a big step against the rapidly increasing digital piracy in the country. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B Ministry) has issued a notice to the messaging platform Telegram directing it to take strict steps to immediately remove illegal and pirated content present on its platform.
The ministry has clearly said that pirated movies, web series and OTT content being shared on Telegram should be immediately banned. Along with this, the government has also asked the platform to submit a complete report of the action taken in this direction within the next 15 days.
This step of the government is also considered important because India’s film industry and digital entertainment sector is suffering huge economic losses due to piracy. Many new films and web series get circulated illegally soon after their release, which affects the earnings of the producers.
This new notice has been issued after complaints that were given by many OTT platforms and content owners. In these complaints it was said that films and web series are being shared on a large scale on Telegram without permission. After investigation, the ministry has identified about 3,142 Telegram channels, which were allegedly spreading pirated content.
The government has issued this notice under the Information Technology Act 2000. In this, Telegram has been ordered to immediately remove all such illegal content and make its rules more strict. Also, according to the IT Rules of 2021, online platforms are required to remove illegal content when they receive orders from the government or court.
This entire action is part of a larger campaign by the government, whose objective is to stop online piracy in the country and to give digital content creators their rightful rights. Meanwhile, the government has also intensified investigation regarding the username feature of messaging apps. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has sent a notice to Telegram and Signal asking for information about this feature.
The government says that this feature can be misused, such as identity theft, creating fake accounts or online fraud. Similar concern was also expressed earlier regarding the new feature of WhatsApp. Companies have been asked what security measures they keep in their username system, so that no misuse can take place.
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