Govt Blocks 22 India, Pak-Based YouTube Channels For Spreading Fake News
Mumbai: The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has issued orders to block 22 YouTube news channels, three Twitter accounts, one Facebook account, and one news website. These channels used logos of TV news channels and false thumbnails to mislead viewers. Besides, 3 Twitter Accounts, 1 Facebook account, and 1 news website have also been blocked.
The ministry said the blocked YouTube channels had a total viewership of over 260 crores, and were used to spread fake news and coordinated propaganda on social media on topics sensitive to national security, India’s foreign relations, and public order.
The government said this is the first action on Indian YouTube channels since the notification of the IT Rules, 2021 in February last year.
According to the ministry, the blocked Indian YouTube channels were using templates and logos of some TV news channels, including images of their news anchors, to trick viewers into believing that the news was authentic.
It said, “False thumbnails were used and the title and thumbnail of the video were changed repeatedly to increase the virality of the content on social media. In some cases, it was also observed that the systematic anti-India fake news originated from Pakistan.”
After analyzing the contents of these accounts, the government found that a large amount of false material was related to the ongoing situation in Ukraine, “and (was) aimed at endangering India’s foreign relations with other countries”.
In the last few years, the government has taken action against social media accounts spreading fake news.
Since December 2021, the Ministry has issued directions for blocking 78 YouTube channels and several other social media accounts on grounds related to national security and public order.
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