16 YouTube channels blocked for spreading ‘hate, fake news’

“The blocked social media accounts include six Pakistan-based and 10 India-based YouTube news channels, having a cumulative viewership of over 68 crore. It was observed that these channels were used to spread fake news over social media on matters related to national security, India’s foreign relations, communal harmony in the country, and public order. None of the digital news publishers had furnished information to the Ministry as required under Rule 18 of the IT Rules, 2021,” the Ministry said in a statement on Monday.

It said the content published by some of the India-based YouTube channels referred to a community as terrorists, and “incited hatred among the members of various religious communities”. “Such content was found to have the potential to create communal disharmony, and disturb public order,” it said.

It cited examples, including 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. 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 Indian Army, Jammu and Kashmir, and India’s foreign relations in the light of situation in Ukraine, etc,” it said.

This comes just two days after the Ministry issued a strong advisory to all private TV channels on Saturday, citing the violence in Delhi’s Jahangirpuri last week, the Russia-Ukraine conflict and “certain news debates”.