Last week the the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) announced the launch of its Code for Self Regulation of Online Curated Content Providers. This code industry wide code is signed by just 4 online video streaming providers and is intended to apply to the entire sector. It will require self-censorship practices which are there in the Television sector to be implemented for online video streaming services such as Arre, Amazon Prime, MX Player and Netflix. The code also creates a private body called the Digital Content Complaint Council (DCCC) to judge complaints and impose penalties. As per press reports it will be headed by Justice A.P. Shah who is a steadfast defenders of civil liberties and democratic values. With a view to place the several concerns of institutionalised self-censorship and chilling effects, we wrote him an open letter yesterday.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://internetfreedom.in/a-gentle-open-letter-to-justice-a-p-shah-on-the-online-video-self-regulatory-code/