Mumbai: A day after the government notified new guidelines and code of ethics for video streaming platforms, top executives of these companies said the code is similar to what the industry had proposed but the grievance redressal mechanism is a cause of concern.“Most of the OTT (overthe-top) services should not have any problems with self-classification or putting systems in place,” said a senior executive with an OTT service who requested not to be identified. “The issue is the third level of regulatory mechanism, where an inter-departmental committee will have oversight over the self-regulatory body as well as power to take down content.”The code and toolkit industry body Internet and Mobile Association of India IAMAI ) and its members had proposed in September last year had the same guidelines for content, the person said. “Already the sector is facing public backlash for content and now we will be subjected to extra scrutiny. This will increase the compliance burden.”IAMAI will meet on Monday to decide on the next course of action, industry officials said.A lawyer said that for every request to modify/delete/ edit a piece of content, or an order to apologise or take it down, there will be litigation. “Wait till the oversight committee gets into action and you will see many petitions in the courts,” she said.

Source: Economic Times February 27, 2021 03:16 UTC