Govt blocks 45 videos from 10 YouTube channels: Officials

Based on the inputs from intelligence agencies, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has directed YouTube to block 45 videos from 10 YouTube channels.Orders to block the concerned videos were issued on September 23 under the provisions of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules 2021. The blocked videos had cumulative viewership of over 1 crore 30 lakh.The content included fake news and morphed videos spread with the intent to spread hatred among religious communities.Examples include false claims such as the government to have taken away the religious rights of certain communities, violent threats against religious communities, declaration of civil war in India, etc. Such videos were found to have the potential to cause communal disharmony and disrupt public order in the country.