New Delhi: The Union government on Monday, April 25, blocked 16 YouTube channels, including six operating from Pakistan, and a Facebook account for spreading disinformation related to India’s national security, foreign relations and public order, according to an official statement.
The blocked YouTube channels and the Facebook account had a cumulative viewership of over 68 crore and were spreading “false, unverified information to create panic, incite communal disharmony and disturb public order in India,” the statement issued by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said.
“None of the digital news publishers had furnished information to the ministry as required under Rule 18 of the IT Rules, 2021,” it added.
The ministry said the content published by some of the blocked India-based YouTube channels referred to the members of a particular community as ‘terrorists’ and incited hatred among various religious communities.
“Such content was found to have the potential to create communal disharmony and disturb public order,” the ministry said.
The ministry also said that multiple India-based YouTube channels were publishing unverified news and videos that had the potential to trigger panic among various sections of society.
“Examples include 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, and so on. Such content was observed to...
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