In a statement, the government said that 7 Indian and 1 Pakistan-based YouTube news channels were blocked under the IT Rules, 2021.
8 YouTube channels – whose aggregate views were over 114 crores – have been banned by the government for spreading misinformation. Out of total 8 YouTube channels, 7 are from India and 1 is from Pakistan. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said in a statement that fake, anti-India content was being monetized through the blocked channels.
The YouTube channels were spreading misinformation about India’s national security, foreign relations and public order, the government said. “The content was found to be completely false and sensitive from the perspective of national security and India’s friendly relations with foreign states,” the statement said.
The 7 YouTube channels that have been banned are:
Watch Lokantar TV, U&V TV, AM Razvi, Gauravshali Pawan Mithilanchal, Ctop 5th, Govt Update, Sab Kuch Dekho. And Pakistan based channel “News Ki Dunya” is blocked. About 85 lakh users subscribed to the channels. Apart from this, one Facebook account and two Facebook posts have been blocked.
While the ministry said these YouTube channels were misleading users and making their content appear “authentic”, India-based channels were “found using fake and sensationalized thumbnails, images of news anchors and logos of certain TV news channels”. “All YouTube channels blocked by the ministry were displaying advertisements on their videos containing false content harmful to communal harmony, public order and India’s foreign relations,” the government further underlined.
Since December, the Center has blocked 102 channels on YouTube and several other social media accounts.
“The Government of India is committed to ensuring an authentic, trustworthy and secure online news media environment and to thwart any attempt to undermine India’s sovereignty and integrity, national security, foreign relations and public order,” the order read.
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