Telegram Faces Government Scrutiny Over Piracy Issues: What’s Next?

Government Notice to Telegram Regarding Piracy

In a recent development, the Indian government has issued a formal notice to the widely-used messaging platform Telegram, urging it to take decisive action against the rampant sharing of pirated films, OTT content, and other audiovisual materials on its service, as reported by government officials on Saturday.

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has requested that Telegram submit an Action Taken Report within a 15-day timeframe. Officials emphasized that this directive signifies a shift from merely addressing individual instances of piracy to holding platforms accountable for their overall content management.

The ministry has informed Telegram that copyright violations are not just civil infractions but also constitute criminal offenses under the Copyright Act of 1957 and the Cinematograph Act of 1952.

Officials have clarified that Telegram cannot simply wait for the government to pinpoint each piracy channel. A reactive approach that tackles piracy on a case-by-case basis may not suffice to demonstrate the necessary due diligence mandated by the IT Act of 2000 and the IT Rules of 2021.

This notice comes on the heels of the Centre's recent regulatory actions against Meta. Earlier this week, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) issued a notice to Meta regarding a new username feature on WhatsApp and later summoned the company over Instagram ads allegedly promoting child sexual abuse material.

Additionally, the I&B Ministry has requested information about Telegram's grievance redressal system for producers, OTT platforms, and law enforcement agencies. Sources indicate that Telegram has been reminded of its obligations as an intermediary to comply with due diligence requirements under the IT Act and the IT Rules.

The government has made it clear that ongoing access to pirated content, non-compliance, or inadequate responses could lead to further scrutiny and legal action. This initiative aims to safeguard India's creative economy, including the film industry, broadcasters, OTT platforms, producers, and distributors.