22 YouTube channels blocked for ‘spreading disinformation’; 4 from Pakistan, 18 India

The information and broadcasting ministry has blocked 22 YouTube channels for ‘spreading disinformation related to India’s national security, foreign relations, and public order’, the government said in a press release issued on Tuesday.

Of the 22 blocked channels four were based in Pakistan and the rest in India, the government said, noting this is the first time action has been taken against India-based YouTube accounts since notification of the IT Rules in February last year.

In addition to the 22 YouTube channels, three Twitter accounts, a Facebook account and a news website have also been blocked, the government said.

“Multiple YouTube channels were used to post 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 government said.

“It was observed that a significant amount of false content published by these Indian-based YouTube channels related to the ongoing situation in Ukraine and aimed at jeopardizing India’s foreign relations with other countries,” the government added.

The government said the blocked channels were using templates and logos of certain TV news platforms, including images of their anchors to mislead viewers into believing the news is authentic. “In certain cases, it was also observed that systematic anti-India fake news was originating from Pakistan.”

Including the latest actions, since December 2021, the I&B ministry has blocked 78 YouTube news channels and several social media accounts on various grounds, including national security, sovereignty, and integrity of India, etc.

On Monday the government told the parliamentary standing committee on information technology (IT) that it had issued orders to take down more than 1,000 URLs till March 7 this year, Hindustan Times had reported, citing people familiar with the development.