The Information & Broadcasting ministry blocks eight Youtube channels for spreading anti-Indian sentiments and misinformation. The list includes seven Indian channels and one from Pakistan. The Indian Channels were blocked in accordance with Information Technology Rules 2021.
The I&B Ministry blocks 8 Youtube Channels on Thursday claiming the channels were spreading false information. The fake information was related to serious topics such as nation’s security, foreign relations and also public order.
Out of these 8 channels; seven were from India itself while a Pakistani channel was also blocked. These blocked YouTube channels had over 114 crore views and over 85 lakh subscribers.
The 7 seven Indian channels were blocked under IT Rules, 2021 by the I&B ministry. “The content blocked by the Ministry was found to be detrimental to sovereignty and integrity of India, security of the State, India’s friendly relations with foreign States, and public order in the country. Accordingly, the content was covered within the ambit of section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000,” the ministry said.
Adding on, the Ministry also claimed that these channels were allegedly spreading “religious discrimination” through their channels.
“Examples include fake news such as the Government of India to have ordered demolition of religious structures; Government of India to have banned celebration of religious festivals, declaration of religious war in India, etc. Such content was found to have the potential to create communal disharmony and disturb public order in the country,” the IT ministry said in a statement.
Other topics on which bogus information was spread also included the Indian military and the state of Jammu and Kashmir, reports said. The ministry said the information was truly sensitive in nature from the perspective of national security and India’s affectionate relation with foreign countries.
Blocked YouTube Channels List
The list of blocked YouTube channels in India comprised – AM Razvi, SeeTop 5TH, Sab Kuch Dekho, Sarkari Update, U&V TV, Gauravshali Pawan Mithilanchal and Loktantra TV. While the eighth blocked Pakistani YouTube channel was News ki Dunya.
This is not the first time when the government has blocked YouTube channels. Earlier, in April too centre had banned 16 YouTube channels asserting the same claims.
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