New Delhi: The central government has issued a formal notice to the popular messaging platform Telegram, instructing it to curb the extensive distribution of pirated motion pictures, over-the-top (OTT) media, and various other audio-visual materials across its network, government officials stated Saturday.

In the directive, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting requested an Action Taken Report from the platform within a 15-day window. Officials underlined that this regulatory move is a strategic transition from handling isolated takedown requests of pirated material toward establishing comprehensive platform accountability.

The ministry reportedly informed Telegram—which previously faced a temporary suspension in India during June as a preventative measure against potential examination paper leaks amid the NEET re-examination—that copyright infringement constitutes both a civil infraction and a criminal violation under the legal frameworks of the Copyright Act, 1957, and the Cinematograph Act, 1952.

"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.

Broader Regulatory Crackdown on Tech Intermediaries

This enforcement action directed at Telegram arrives on the heels of recent regulatory measures taken by the Centre against Meta. Earlier in the week, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) delivered a notice to Meta scrutinising a proposed username feature for WhatsApp. MeitY subsequently decided to summon representatives from the tech conglomerate regarding Instagram advertisements that allegedly advertised child sexual abuse material.

Furthermore, MeitY has distributed separate notices to both Telegram and the messaging application Signal concerning their currently operational username functionalities.

Demands for Compliance and Structural Accountability

Concurrently, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has requested comprehensive data regarding Telegram's internal grievance redressal systems designed for content creators, streaming networks, and law enforcement entities, according to informed sources. The platform was explicitly reminded that its status as an online intermediary mandates adherence to statutory due diligence under the IT Act and accompanying IT Rules.

"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.

PTI