Internet cannot be a place where the law doesn’t reach: Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar on OTT regulation

Minister of State, Electronics and Information Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar has said that the internet should not become a place where there is no law as he addressed the issue of OTT content regulation.

Speaking at the ‘Storyboard18 DNPA Conclave and Awards 2024’, he said, “Just because you are on the internet doesn’t mean the laws of the land will not touch you.”

When asked if the IT Rules are far-reaching, Chandrasekhar said, “Anybody who characterises the IT Rules as being arbitrary or far reaching or censorship has not read the IT Rules well.”

He said that the rules are absolutely clear, simple and consistent, and guardrails to protect the consumer.

“If you read the rules, you will find that the rules are absolutely clear, simple and consistent, guardrails to protect the consumer. What we laid down, are 11 types of unlawful content that should not be on any platform because they are not just unlawful as per the IT Act but also unlawful under the Criminal Code. For example, CSAM (Child Sexual Abuse Material). Nobody can argue that prohibiting child sexual abuse material on any platform or the internet is far reaching,” he added.