Chennai: The Union government has blocked 16 YouTube channels, including six operating from Pakistan, and a Facebook account, for spreading ‘disinformation related to India’s national security, foreign relations, and public order’.
The list of YouTube channels blocked by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry includes 10 Indian channels and six Pakistan-based channels. As per the government, these channels have a cumulative viewership of over 68 crore.
They were spreading ‘false, unverified information to create panic, incite communal disharmony and disturb public order in India,’ the statement issued by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said.
‘None of the digital news publishers had furnished information to the ministry as required under Rule 18 of the IT Rules, 2021,’ it added.
The Ministry said the content published by some of the blocked India-based YouTube channels referred to the members of a particular community as terrorists and incited hatred among various religious communities.
‘Such content was found having the potential to create disharmony and disturb public order,’ it added.
Examples include false claims related to announcement of a pan-India lockdown due to Covid-19, thereby threatening the migrant workers, and fabricated claims alleging threats to certain religious communities etc. Such content was observed to be detrimental to public order in the country, it said.
The Ministry further said the blocked YouTube channels based in Pakistan were found to have been used in a coordinated manner to post fake news about India on various subjects such as the Army, Jammu and Kashmir and foreign relations in the light of the situation in war-hit Ukraine.