Centre Plans Regulations For Netflix, Amazon Prime; Invites Suggestions

Fake news is more dangerous than paid news and there is need for the government and the media to combat it jointly, Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar said on Thursday.

The government will not take any step that may curb media freedom, the minister said, adding there should be some kind of regulation on over-the-top platforms (OTT), as there is for the print and electronic media as well as films.

OTT platforms include news portals and also streaming services such as Hotstar, Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, which are accessible over the internet or ride on an operator's network.

Mr Javadekar said several mainstream media outlets have conveyed to the government that that there was no level-playing field with OTT platforms being completely unregulated.

"I have sought suggestions on how to deal with this because there are regular feature films coming on OTT -- good, bad and ugly. So how to deal with this, who should monitor, who should regulate. There is no certification body for OTT platforms and likewise news portals also," he said.

At the same time, he said the government has not taken any decision on the matter.

The Press Council of India takes care of the print media, the News Broadcasters Association (NBA) monitors news channels, the Advertising Standards Council of India is for advertising while the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) takes care of films, he said.

"However, there is nothing for the OTT platforms," he said.

There has been a spurt in news portals in India with several of them seeing a rise in the number of online subscribers.

Mr Javadekar also expressed concern over fake news, saying it is "more dangerous than paid news".

"Fake news has to be stopped and that is our joint work. It is not just the government's job, it is everybody's job. Those who are in the business of genuine news, they all must strive hard (to combat it)," the minister said.

"We have seen in the last few months that fake news on social media and gossip, rumours on child lifting have resulted in the deaths of more than 20-30 people in mob violence," he said.