I&B Ministry directs Telegram to remove over 3,100 channels for hosting copyright-protected content

In a major crackdown, the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on Wednesday (March 11, 2026) directed the Telegram messaging application to immediately remove over 3,100 of its channels through which copyright-protected content belonging to OTT platforms and producers was allegedly being circulated.

Telegram did not have an immediate response to the Ministry’s directions when approached by The Hindu for comment.

Telegram has been asked to take down the channels, including their content, which violated the Copyright Act, within three hours of receiving the intimation, a source in the government said.

The Information Technology Act provides safe harbour protection to intermediaries, including messaging applications, from liability for any third party information, data, or communication link hosted or transmitted by them. However, the protection does not apply if they fail to expeditiously remove or disable access to the content hosted on their platforms that violate any law, on receiving information about the same through a court order or notification by the government or its agency.

It is learnt that the Ministry has identified several Telegram channels that have more than 2,000 pirated links, with over 150 channels having more than 500 such links that violated the Copyright Act.

The unlawful content flagged mainly consists of copyright-protected works hosted by major OTT platforms, such as Amazon, Jio, and Sony, and production houses. The content types range from popular web series, animated series, movies, and television serials, including daily soap operas and reality shows, to audio stories and podcasts.