Centre Asks Twitter, YouTube To Remove Controversial Perfume Commercial ‘Promoting Sexual Violence’

Derogatory Ads: The perfume advertisement had triggered outrage among a large section of users on social media, claiming that the commercial sought to promote sexual violence against women.

Derogatory Ads: The government has asked Twitter and YouTube to take down controversial perfume commercial. (Representation)

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New Delhi: The Information and Broadcasting Ministry on Saturday asked social media platforms, Twitter and YouTube to pull down videos of the advertisement of a perfume brand that triggered outrage for “promoting sexual violence against women’, reported news agency PTI.

In letters to Twitter and YouTube, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said that the videos were "detrimental to the portrayal of women in the interest of decency and morality" and in violation of Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code).

I&B Ministry asks Twitter, YouTube to take down "derogatory (Layer'r Shot) ad circulating on social media." pic.twitter.com/9aFUlKf97z

— ANI (@ANI) June 4, 2022

The advertisement of the perfume brand had triggered outrage among a large section of users on social media, claiming that the commercial sought to promote sexual violence against women.

"It has come to the notice of the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting that an inappropriate and derogatory advertisement of a deodorant is circulating on social media. The Ministry has asked Twitter and YouTube to immediately pull down all instances of this advertisement," an official spokesperson said.

In its letter to Twitter and YouTube, the ministry said that the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) too has found the videos in violation of its guidelines and asked the advertiser to suspend the advertisement on an immediate basis.

The action taken by the ministry comes after the Delhi Commission for Women wrote to the Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur demanding that a "misogynistic" advertisement being played on mass media be taken off air.

The women’s panel in its letter to the ministry on Saturday said that the advertisement “promoted gang-rape culture” and also issued a notice to the Delhi Police regarding the same.