Broadcast bill explained: Is censorship coming for content creators?

Do you get your news from YouTube videos? Or Instagram posts and tweets? Now, the landscape of digital news and content creation in India could be reshaped as proposed in the latest draft of the Broadcast Services (Regulation) Bill.

The bill, which is likely to replace the previous cable TV regulations, proposes to categorise digital content creators, such as Dhruv Rathee, Ravish Kumar, and BeerBiceps, as “digital news broadcasters”. This could mean a set of new regulations and codes of conduct for content creators across platforms and mediums, from text to videos.

The bill’s vagueness, with the phrase “as may be prescribed” appearing 42 times, and the manner of floating it has also raised concerns. While the first draft was published for public consultation and feedback, this draft has only been shared with select broadcasters and associations.

Watch.

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