The VLC Media Player was included in the Government of India’s round of blocking apps throughout the nation. For more than six months, the media player was blocked in India. The country’s government was sued by VideoLAN, the company that owns VLC Media Player, and ultimately, after a protracted legal battle, the country’s official ban on the application has been lifted. Additionally, according to reports, MeitY (Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology) and the DoT (Department of Telecommunication) has received legal notification from VideoLAN.

VLC Media Player

It has been previously reported that VideoLAN filed a right-to-information (RTI) application with the DoT of India in order to gain more information about why the application was banned in the country. Now, Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF) has shared a new tweet on Twitter which confirms that the ban on VLC media player has been lifted up officially. According to reports, MeitY was given the RTI but claimed to be unable to provide any information regarding the restriction on the VideoLAN website. In a legal letter sent to the DoT and MeitY, the creator of the open-source media player claimed that it had not been informed of the restriction in advance.

Additionally, even after the ban, users could still download the application from the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store. So it might be a ban that only applies to the VideoLAN website? About that, we’re unsure. After six months of requests, the owner then sent MeitY a legal notification alleging that no information had been provided regarding the ban on the media player.

Additionally, VideoLAN claimed that the site’s blocking violated both Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and international commitments related to freedom of speech. The organisation also declared that it will seek legal redress for the violation of its rights. Anyway, the player is currently fully accessible in the country and the government is yet to release an official statement regarding it.

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