There have been no grievances or appeals processed by the Digital Publisher Content Grievances Council (DPCGC) in the months of March and February, 2023, according to disclosures shared by DPCGC with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB). DPCGC is one of the many self-regulatory bodies set up under the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, to deal with user complaints. The grievance mechanism deals with digital news publishers and over-the-top (OTT) platforms but DPCGC deals with complaints related to OTT platforms specifically. The body counts companies like Netflix, ALTBalaji, Amazon Prime Video, Mubi, Apple TV, BookMyShow Stream, Eros Now, Lionsgate Play, among its members. Furthermore, Justice Arjan Kumar Sikri is the Chairman of DPCGC’s Grievance Redressal Board. A self-regulatory body is the second step in a three-tier grievance redressal mechanism stipulated under the guidelines. The first step is users filing complaints with the OTT platform which is then tasked with their resolution. A user can approach a self-regulatory body if the OTT platform does not resolve their complaint or they are not satisfied with the resolution. Why it matters: It is important to take note of these disclosures because the numbers can shed light on how people are reacting to the content on OTT platforms. The number of complaints appears to be minimal which seem to indicate that users are largely satisfied with the nature of the content. However, the lack of complaints does beg the question as to why the Indian government is…
