A total of 16 grievances were registered by Netflix in January 2023, out of which it managed to dispose of 10, according to the disclosure published by the company under the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. Netflix said that 10 grievances concerned the code of ethics laid down in the IT Rules, 2021, but the publisher did not take any action against any of them. The platform also stated that it received one order/ advisory—from either the Union government or self-regulatory bodies—without going into the specifics of the type or nature of the notice. Why it matters: It is important to report on these disclosures because they reveal if the grievance redressal mechanism is working effectively. It is evident that platforms are in no mood to run afoul of the Indian government in their compliance with the IT Rules, 2021, even as the country’s apex court deliberates upon their legal validity. Lowdown on other streaming platforms: India has more than 40 streaming platforms at present but not all of them disclose grievances received by them. Disney+ Hotstar: India’s largest streaming platform, Disney+ Hotstar, disclosed that it received only one complaint in December 2022 and January 2023. The platform dismissed both these complaints which have now been disposed of, as per the disclosure. Amazon Prime Video: The platform recorded 226 grievances during February 2023 and disposed of 224 complaints which included pending grievances from the last month. Only two out of the 224 complaints were…
