India Issues Notice to Telegram Over Pirated Content Circulation

NEW DELHI: The Centre has issued a notice to Telegram over widespread circulation of pirated films, OTT shows and other audio-visual content on the platform, asking the messaging app to move beyond channel-wise takedowns and submit an Action Taken Report within 15 days. Telegram did not respond to the development Saturday. Officials said the information and broadcasting ministry has directed Telegram to strengthen systems to detect, report, disable access to and remove infringing content, and act against repeat offenders, including channels, groups, bots, accounts, administrators and associated entities. The ministry has also sought details of its grievance redress mechanism for producers, broadcasters, OTT platforms and law enforcement agencies. Last month, Telegram was temporarily blocked over allegations that channels were being used to defraud candidates ahead of the NEET-UG re-examination. The home ministry’s cybercrime coordination wing, in a report cited during court proceedings, also flagged concerns over Telegram’s use for circulation of child sexual abuse material, fake job ads, cyber fraud and pirated content. This week, govt issued notices to Telegram and Signal seeking safeguards against username-based features that allow users to interact without revealing phone numbers. Govt officials said the latest action is part of the same regulatory concern: platforms cannot rely only on reactive compliance after unlawful activity is identified. Earlier this year, the ministry had asked Telegram to disable access to 3,142 channels carrying pirated content and blocked 800 piracy websites.