US streaming giant Netflix is facing an investigation by India over allegations of visa violations and racial discrimination.
Indian official Deepak Yadav of the Foreigners Regional Registration Officer (FRRO) of the home ministry in New Delhi said concerning the allegations: “This is regarding visa and tax violations concerns regarding the business practices of Netflix in India. We have received certain details in this regard w.r.t (with respect to) the stated company’s conduct, visa violation, illegal structures, tax evasion and other malpractices including incidents of racial discrimination that company has been engaged in while conducting its business in India.”
The Indian official’s email is indicative of the growing scrutiny of Netflix in India, where the service has about 10 million users and is considered as a growing market that companies are targeting among the affluent in the country of 1.4 billion people. Over the years, the US streaming service has created more localised content featuring Bollywood actors.
Netflix has faced criticism in India over its content, which some users found indelicate. This month it had to include new disclaimers to an Indian series about a plane hijacking after outrage on social media and anger from the government over what they said were Muslim hijackers being shown as Hindus.
The company has been dealing with an Indian tax demand since 2023, which it has systematically rejected. However, the existence of a wider investigation into allegations including visa compliance and racial discrimination had not previously been reported.
FRRO works with the Home Ministry’s Intelligence Bureau, the domestic intelligence agency, and is the main agency that checks foreigners’ visa compliance and permits to visit so-called “sensitive” regions. Last year, India accused Chinese smartphone player Vivo and its Indian subsidiaries of violating visa rules by visiting some “sensitive” regions without authorisation. India classifies parts of some states, such as Jammu and Kashmir in the north and Sikkim in the east, as restricted areas.
