In February 2023, Netflix reported ten grievances, out of which it managed to dispose of one, according to the disclosure published by the company under the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. The company also disclosed that six grievances were pending at the start of the month which were addressed by Netflix. However, nine complaints were pending at the end of February 2023. Furthermore, the platform added that only two grievances were related to the code of ethics laid down in the IT Rules, 2021, but the publisher did not take any action against any of them. What happened in January 2023: The company had received 16 grievances in January 2023 out of which 10 were disposed of during the month. It also received one order/ advisory from either the Union government or self-regulatory bodies but did not go into the specifics of the nature of the notice. Why it matters: It is critical to note these disclosures because they provide insight into whether the grievance redressal mechanism is working effectively. It is clear that the platforms are in no mood to lock horns with the Indian government over compliance with the IT Rules, 2021, even as the country’s apex court deliberates upon their legal validity. What about other streaming platforms: India has more than 50 streaming platforms at present but not all of them disclose grievances received by them. Disney+ Hotstar: India’s largest streaming platform, Disney+ Hotstar, revealed that it received no complaints in…
