Thread by @nixxin

I'll answer this.

Thread.

1. Censor board doesn't have the capacity to deal with 20000+ movies being produced in India annually. Where will it find the capacity to apply its mind to all the movies being produced for OTT globally? The lag will destroy consumer choice

1/

https://twitter.com/bhupendrachaube/status/1367756980304015361

2. The need is to move from censorship and govt certification to self certification. And more detailed certification than just a rating. OTT streaming services already do this and have norms. If someone violates the law, prosecute them.

2/

3. All streaming is pull content. People are choosing to watch something: not being pushed at them. Norms for broadcast cannot apply here. Not the same thing. You can't treat it the same as TV.

3/

4. Streaming services are very different from public exhibition (films) and TV (broadcast). You shouldn't need to go through such a censor board mechanism for private viewing, if disclosures are adequate. In fact, the govt has said in the past (2015) that it doesn't
4/

...want to do moral policing or ban porn. Then why this heavy handed approach towards streaming services?
medianama.com/2015/08/223-mo…

To quote the attorney general of India then: "The best filter is not to stop it at the gateway of the country, but at the home. If two adults..."
5/

"feel it is entertainment,we cannot be present in everyone’s house.Some kind of self regulation has to be done.That is how it works across most of developed countries. Otherwise,it becomes a totalitarian state. What happens to 19(1)?Tomorrow they will say stop this,stop that”
6/

5. There is no legal differentia in the IT Act between you or me uploading our movie on our site/YouTube/facebook, and Netflix / Hotstar licensing it. How will guidelines that apply to OTT streaming not apply to someone publishing their video online? By size? That won't work.
7/

6. What you're doing is segmenting the internet into types of entities. Streaming services, ecommerce providers etc etc. That will destroy the flexibility for service to innovate. Shape shift. Try new things. For example, how will this segmentation impact

8/

Innovation like Black mirror Bandersnatch? Amazon can use amazon prime video's x-ray to showcase clothes & furniture that users can buy on amazon.com . We don't even know the possibilities. By treating the interactive universe with outdated, blinkered frameworks
9/

That are from a License Raj era, this government is limiting and destroying innovation, and the ability of businesses to create new consumer experiences. We're seeing this with the IT Rules especially, but also expecting with bitcoin.

10/

Lastly, if you want to study all this in more detail, here's @medianama 's complete guide to OTT streaming regulation
medianama.com/2020/07/223-ot…

If India's broadcast censorship code was applied to Sacred Games, this is what it would look like: medianama.com/2019/10/223-sa…