I&B blocks 22 YouTube channels, including 4 based in Pakistan

The ministry said that the blocked YouTube channels had a cumulative viewership of over 260 crore, and were "used to spread fake news and coordinated disinformation over social media" on sensitive subjects.

New Delhi: The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on Tuesday blocked 22 YouTube channels including 4 Pakistan-based YouTube news channels under the IT Rules, 2021, for spreading disinformation related to India's national security, foreign relations, and public order. Three Twitter accounts, one Facebook account and one news website were also blocked.

The ministry said that the blocked YouTube channels had a cumulative viewership of over 260 crores and were "used to spread fake news and coordinated disinformation over social media" on sensitive subjects. This is the first time action has been taken against Indian YouTube-based news publishers since the notification of the IT Rules, 2021 in February last year, an official press release by the ministry stated.

The ministry, in its press release, said that the channels were posting fake news on various subjects such as the Indian Armed Forces, Jammu and Kashmir, etc. The content ordered to be blocked also included certain anti-India content posted from multiple social media accounts operated in a coordinated manner from Pakistan, the statement added.

The press release said that the content published by these channels was aimed at jeopardizing India’s foreign relations with other countries. The blocked Indian YouTube channels were using templates and logos of certain TV news channels, including images of their news anchors to mislead the viewers to believe that the news was authentic.

The ministry said that since December 2021, it has issued directions for blocking 78 YouTube-based news channels and several other social media accounts on grounds related to national security, sovereignty and integrity of India, public order, etc.