The Central government has directed Telegram to act against the large-scale sharing of pirated films, web series and other copyrighted content on its platform.
In a notice issued by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B), the messaging app has been instructed to remove channels involved in copyright infringement and submit an Action Taken Report (ATR) within 15 days.
The ministry said the move is intended to protect India’s creator economy and safeguard the rights of filmmakers, OTT platforms, broadcasters, producers and content distributors from digital piracy.
More than 3100 channels found sharing pirated content
The action comes after several OTT platforms and copyright holders complained that their films and web series were being illegally circulated through Telegram channels.
Following an examination of these complaints, the Ministry identified 3142 Telegram channels that were allegedly involved in distributing pirated movies, web series and other copyrighted material without permission.
The notice has been issued under the provisions of the Information Technology Act, 2000, asking Telegram to remove the identified content and strengthen its compliance with legal obligations applicable to online intermediaries.
As per the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, digital platforms are required to take down unlawful content after receiving a valid government notice or court order.
Part of government’s larger anti-piracy initiative
Officials said the latest action is part of the Centre’s ongoing efforts to curb online piracy and protect India’s entertainment industry from copyright violations.
The campaign aims to safeguard the interests of film producers, broadcasters, OTT platforms, distributors and other stakeholders whose content is being illegally shared online.
Telegram and Signal also asked to explain username feature
Separately, the Central government has widened its review of the username feature available on messaging applications.
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has sent notices to Telegram and Signal, asking both platforms to explain how the feature operates and what measures have been put in place to prevent impersonation, identity theft and other forms of misuse.
The move follows a similar notice recently issued to Meta regarding WhatsApp’s proposed username feature for users in India.
Centre flags risk of online fraud and impersonation
According to Meta, usernames are optional identifiers that begin with the ‘@’ symbol and allow users to communicate without revealing their mobile numbers.
However, the government has expressed concern that the feature could be exploited by cybercriminals to deceive users.
In its notice to Meta, the Centre said, ‘It is felt that the feature may materially increase the incidence of online fraud, phishing, digital arrest scams and impersonation attacks, by enabling bad actors to solicit and message victims.’
The notice further stated, ‘facilitate impersonation and identity spoofing, including impersonation of individuals, public authorities, financial institutions, and government agencies, by permitting the adoption of usernames closely resembling those of genuine persons or institutions.’
