Sweeping terms in draft broadcast Bill raise red flags on free speech | India News

Expanding its remit from OTT content and digital news to include social media accounts and online video creators; defining a “digital news broadcaster” in sweeping terms; requiring prior registration with government to prescribing standards for content evaluation, the latest draft of the Broadcasting Services (Regulation) Bill, 2024, raises several questions on the freedom of speech and expression and the government’s powers to regulate it. The Bill, which seeks to replace the 1995 Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, deals with television broadcasting. In November last year, the Ministry of Information and…