The Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has ordered the blocking of 35 YouTube channels, which allegedly spread “misinformation campaigns against the sovereignty of our country.” These channels have a total subscriber base of over 1.20 crore and their videos have over 130 crore views.
Secretary of Information and Broadcasting Apurva Chandra informed media-persons on Friday that the action was taken under rule 16 of the Information Technology Rules, 2021 (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics).
The Indian intelligence agencies are keeping a close watch on, what he claimed, the “misinformation being spread from Pakistan-sponsored propaganda machinery.” They had passed on the inputs to the government.
The government provided the information to the intermediaries and they acted swiftly and blocked the channels immediately, he said. Last month, 20 YouTube channels were blocked.
According to Apurva Chandra, these social media accounts indulged in spreading rampant misinformation about the Indian Army, Jammu and Kashmir and India’s foreign relations with other countries. Some of them were seen spreading fake narratives about the former chief of defense staff General Bipin Rawat’s demise.
Joint Secretary Vikram Sahay gave a detailed presentation to the press regarding the “misinformation campaign.”
