The central government has issued new rules regarding digital platforms and social media a day before on 25 February. This will have a direct impact on OTT platforms such as Netflix, Hotstar and Amazon Prime. On Friday, February 26, IT industry body Nasscom said that the rules that have been framed regarding social media, OTT and digital media players, their main goal is to deal with complaints of any kind, prevent fake news and ensure online security. However, NASSCOM says that these will need to be implemented properly so that it does not become harmful for the growth of online platforms.
The industry association said that the scope of technology is growing rapidly and in such a situation, the need for the government, industry, startups and citizens, all stakeholders to manufacture and use technology has increased. NASSCOM says that there must be a balance between regulation and innovation because new technology is developing rapidly in the world. NASSCOM says that freedom of expression should be ensured by the new rules.
New rules useful for users
The IT body says that from the point of view of the new rules brought by the central government, the option of voluntary self-verification of user accounts, the right to know the reason in the absence of removal or access and the solution against any action of intermediaries The right to search can be useful for users. These rules have been introduced to resolve complaints, prevent fake news and ensure online safety. However, NASSCOM believes that these will need to be implemented properly so that it does not become harmful for social media platforms.
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Impact of new OTT rules on consumers
OTT platforms like YouTube, Netflix, Hotstar and Amazon Prime will now have to classify all the content on their platforms by themselves. Separate categories have to be created for which age group the content is better for the audience. According to the central government’s decision, the content will be categorized into five categories.
- For children and people of all age groups, the viewable content will be placed in the “U” category.
- Content that is viewable to people over 7 years of age and children under 7 years of age in parental guidance will be placed in a separate category under the rating “U / A 7+”.
- People above 13 years of age and those under 13 years of age will be placed in a separate category under the “U / A 13+” rating in the parental guidance.
- People above 16 years of age and those under 16 years of age will be placed in a separate category under the “U / A 16+” rating in parental guidance. The content is for adults only, It will be classified under “A” rating.
- (For the category U / A 13+ or above, the OTT platform will have to feature parental locks and a better mechanism to validate the age for A category content.)