Government issues notice to Telegram over pirated films and OTT content

Centre Issues Notice To Telegram To Crack Down On Pirated Films & OTT Content; Seeks Action Report In 15 Days

New Delhi: The Centre has served a notice to popular messaging app Telegram, directing it to crack down on the "widespread dissemination" of pirated films, OTT content and other audio-visual material through its platform, government officials said on Saturday.Ministry of Information and Broadcasting sends fresh notice to Telegram, accusing the platform of not doing enough to stop piracy. Demands proactive takedown of piracy groups and channels. Warns of "further examination and action under the applicable legal framework". pic.twitter.com/nRTynNRKFj— Aroon Deep (@AroonDeep) July 4, 2026 In its notice, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting sought an Action Taken Report from Telegram within 15 days, with officials underlining that the government's approach marks a shift from piecemeal takedowns of pirated content to "platform accountability".The ministry is learnt to have told Telegram, which was temporarily blocked in India in June as a precautionary measure to prevent any paper leak during the NEET re-examination, that copyright infringement is not merely a civil violation, but also a criminal offence under the Copyright Act, 1957, and the Cinematograph Act, 1952.Centre Widens Action Against Username Feature, Sends Notices To Telegram & Signal "The Ministry has made it clear that Telegram cannot merely wait for the government to identify each piracy channel one by one. A purely reactive, channel-by-channel takedown approach may not be enough to demonstrate due diligence by the platform, as required under the IT Act, 2000, and the IT Rules, 2021," officials said.The notice to Telegram follows the Centre's recent regulatory action against Meta. On Wednesday, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) issued a notice to Meta questioning the planned username feature on WhatsApp and, later in the week, decided to summon the company over Instagram ads allegedly promoting child sexual abuse material.'Our Reply For Dhurandhar': Did Pakistani Actresses Mahira Khan & Iqra Aziz Praise Alia Bhatt-Sharvari Starrer Alpha? Meanwhile, the I&B Ministry has also sought details of Telegram's grievance redressal mechanism for producers, OTT platforms and law enforcement agencies, sources said. Telegram has been reminded that, as an intermediary, it is required to observe due diligence under the IT Act and the IT Rules, they added."The Government has made it clear that the continued availability of pirated content, evasive compliance, or an incomplete response may invite further examination and action under the applicable legal framework. The action has been taken to protect India's creator economy, film industry, broadcasters, OTT platforms, producers, and distributors," an official added. (Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)

2 hours ago

I&B Ministry issues fresh notice to Telegram on pirated content

The Ministry asked the platform to submit an Action Taken Report within 15 days, stating that as an intermediary, Telegram must abide by IT Act and IT Rules

3 hours ago

I&B Ministry Flags Telegram Over Piracy, Demands Platform-Level Action Against Illegal Content

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) has issued a formal notice to Telegram over the widespread circulation of pirated films and OTT content on its platform, according to a report by Moneycontrol. According to the report, the ministry has directed Telegram to move beyond isolated takedown requests and adopt a comprehensive, platform-level strategy to combat piracy. It has specifically asked the company to take action against repeat offenders, including channels, groups, bots, accounts, administrators, and related entities involved in distributing illegal content.As part of its directive, the government has also sought detailed information on Telegram’s grievance redressal system for film producers, OTT platforms, and law enforcement agencies, indicating the need for a more structured compliance mechanism. Officials have emphasised that Telegram cannot rely solely on reactive takedowns initiated after authorities identify infringing content. Instead, the platform is expected to proactively monitor and prevent piracy to meet its due diligence obligations under the Information Technology Act, 2000 and the IT Rules, 2021.The notice further warns that copyright infringement is not only a civil offence but may also attract criminal liability under the Copyright Act, 1957 and the Cinematograph Act, 1952.This latest communication follows earlier government action targeting more than 3,000 Telegram channels allegedly involved in distributing pirated content. Centre Widens Action Against Username Feature, Sends Notices To Telegram & Signal Authorities have cautioned that continued availability of infringing material, incomplete compliance, or evasive responses could lead to further legal scrutiny.This is the second notice issued to Telegram within a week. Earlier, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology had also issued notices to Telegram, WhatsApp, and Signal regarding their username features and associated compliance concerns.Separately, Telegram has previously faced regulatory action in India. In June, the National Testing Agency temporarily restricted its use in connection with alleged circulation of leaked examination papers. The platform was also directed to disable its message-editing feature until June 30 in the run-up to the NEET (UG) 2026 re-examination.The government’s latest move underscores increasing regulatory pressure on messaging platforms to curb misuse and strengthen content moderation systems in India.

3 hours ago