MoS Suresh Gopi at play! 4996 Telegram channels, 1263 websites banned

NEW DELHI: The central government blocked websites and Telegram channels that were spreading pirated versions of newly released movies. 4996 Telegram channels and 1263 websites have been blocked. This was announced by Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Ashwini Vaishnaw in response to a letter from Union Minister of State for Suresh Gopi.

Suresh Gopi had written to the Union Minister requesting action against the spread of fake versions of movies.

Ashwini Vaishnaw said that the film industry was seriously hit by the fake versions doing the rounds on social media. A special mechanism has been formed under the ministry to resolve complaints. He also announced that an anti-piracy portal will be developed to coordinate complaints and take quick action. Union Minister of State L. Murugan said that Telegram has been instructed to remove content as soon as copyright infringement is detected and to permanently close channels and groups that repeatedly violate the law. Digital piracy is causing huge financial losses to the Indian cinema-OTT sector. He also stated that steps will be taken to strengthen copyright protection and reduce losses.