Fake news: India orders blocking of 22 YouTube channels, including four based in Pakistan
35 YouTube channels blocked
For propagating fake news, the Indian government has shut down 22 YouTube news channels and other social media accounts.
18 Indian and four Pakistani YouTube channels have been disabled.
According to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, four Pakistani YouTube news channels misled viewers by using TV news channel logos and bogus thumbnails.
Also read | Indian govt bans 35 YouTube channels, 2 websites for running ‘anti-India’ propaganda
In addition, three Twitter accounts, one Facebook account, and one news website have been blacklisted by the authorities.
"The blocked YouTube channels had a cumulative viewership of over 260 crore (2.6 billion), and were used to spread fake news, and coordinate disinformation over social media on subjects sensitive from the perspective of national security, India’s foreign relations, and public order," the I & B Minister said in a statement.
This is the first time action has been taken against Indian YouTube-based news providers since the notification of the IT Rules, 2021, in February of last year.
During the content analysis, it was discovered that many YouTube channels were being used to spread fake news about the Indian Armed Forces, Jammu and Kashmir, and other topics.
Certain anti-India content posted from various social media accounts run in a coordinated manner from Pakistan was also ordered to be blocked.
(With inputs from agencies)