On Monday, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting issued directions to block 16 YouTube based news channels.
“Utilising the emergency powers under the IT Rules, 2021, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, 2021, vide two separate orders on 22.04.2022, issued directions for blocking of sixteen (16) YouTube based news channels and one (1) Facebook account.
The blocked social media accounts include six Pakistan based and ten India based YouTube news channels, having a cumulative viewership of over 68 crore,” the Ministry said in a statement.
Some YouTube channels in India released content that referred to a group as terrorists and incited enmity among members of various religious communities. This type of content was discovered to have the potential to cause community strife and disrupt public order.
Several YouTube channels based in India have been found to disseminate unsubstantiated news and videos that have the potential to cause fear among diverse segments of the population.
This is not the first time that the Centre has decided to block Youtube channels, earlier this month, the government had blocked 22 YouTube channels for ‘spreading disinformation related to India’s national security.
Of the 22 blocked channels four were based in Pakistan and the rest in India, the government said, noting this is the first time action has been taken against India-based YouTube accounts since notification of the IT Rules in February last year.
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