Government slaps notice on Telegram over pirated films, OTT content, seeks action
PTC News Desk: The central government has sent a notice to Telegram, directing the messaging platform to take immediate action against the alleged large-scale sharing of pirated movies and OTT content on its platform.
According to sources, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) asked Telegram to quickly remove channels and groups that are illegally distributing copyrighted content, including films and web series available on streaming platforms.
The ministry has instructed Telegram to put stronger systems in place to stop piracy and prevent misuse of the platform for copyright violations. The company has also been asked to submit a detailed report within 15 days explaining the steps it has taken to comply with the government's directions.
The move is aimed at protecting India's entertainment industry, including filmmakers, producers, broadcasters, OTT platforms, distributors and other content owners, who suffer financial losses due to online piracy.
Pirated copies of newly released movies and web series often appear on messaging apps and other online platforms shortly after release, affecting revenue and hurting content creators.
The notice comes shortly after the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) also sought explanations from Telegram and Signal regarding their username features and the safeguards in place to prevent impersonation and misuse.
Earlier, the government had issued a similar notice to Meta over the rollout of username features on its platforms. Officials expressed concerns that such features could potentially increase phishing attempts, impersonation, online fraud and so-called "digital arrest" scams.
Following the notice, representatives from Meta met with MeitY officials to discuss the issue and explain the safeguards built into the feature.
- With inputs from agencies
