Government lifts 'ban' on VLC Media Player, now available to download

When the Indian government discovered that VLC Media Player was interacting with the server of a previously prohibited software and transmitting user information to a 'hostile country,' it blacklisted the website earlier this year. Seems like access to VLC Media Player's website has been restored.

Many Indian consumers had trouble getting through to the website or downloading the software. In any case, using VLC-related programmes was completely trouble-free.

According to reports, the Home Ministry issued the notification of the prohibition under Section 69(A) of the IT Act. The prohibition came as a surprise, however, and seems to be in violation of the 2009 Blocking Rules established in the case of Shreya Singhal v. Union of India. To find out why the site was prohibited, the Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF) submitted a Right to Information (RTI) request to the Department of Telecom back in June.

The Department of Transportation promptly sent the inquiry to the Electronics and Information Technology Ministry.

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VICTORY @GoI_MeitY has decided to remove its ban on the website of VLC media player. IFF provided legal support to @videolan throughout this process. (1/3)#WhatTheBlock pic.twitter.com/pW7APDAbIX

— Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF) (@internetfreedom) November 14, 2022

The official VLC Media Player Twitter account also confirmed the prohibition has been lifted. Most people in India may now access the site. We have asked the Internet Freedom Foundation for clarification.