338% YoY increase in plaints against digital news publishers: MIB

Complaints and grievances against digital news publishers saw a steep rise in 2024-25, according to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting’s latest annual report that has highlighted growing public scrutiny of online news content and increased use of formal grievance mechanisms.

The MIB annual report for 2024-25 shows that the ministry received 859 grievances and complaints relating to digital news publishers, either directly or through the Centralised Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System. This is a sharp increase from the 196 grievances recorded in 2023-24.

On a year-on-year basis, complaints against digital news publishers rose by around 338 per cent, marking one of the most significant jumps in grievance volumes since the implementation of the Information Technology Rules, 2021.

As per the report, grievances received by the Ministry are forwarded to the concerned publishers for redressal. The complaints are handled through the three-tier grievance redressal mechanism, with self-regulatory bodies such as the Digital Publishers Content Grievance Council under the Internet and Mobile Association of India and the Digital Media Content Regulatory Council playing a key role.

The surge in grievances comes at a time when digital news consumption continues to expand rapidly across platforms and languages, bringing a wider range of content under public and regulatory lens. Industry observers point out that higher awareness among users about complaint mechanisms may also be contributing to the rise in reported grievances.

OTT Complaints up 944%

Meanwhile, complaints related to OTT platforms also increased during the same period, though they form a secondary trend in the Ministry’s data. The annual report for 2024-25 records 1,086 grievances relating to OTT platforms, compared to 104 complaints in 2023-24, reflecting a year-on-year increase of roughly 944 per cent.

The ministry has reiterated that it does not adjudicate on content, and that its role is limited to forwarding grievances to publishers or relevant self-regulatory bodies for action as per the IT Rules. The latest figures are likely to add momentum to ongoing debates around self-regulation, content responsibility, and the evolving oversight framework for India’s digital media ecosystem.