JAKARTA - A total of 22 YouTube channels have been banned in India, including four originating from Pakistan for spreading disinformation about matters of national security and public order in the country.
India's Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said the blocked YouTube channels had a combined total of 2.6 billion viewers. All of these channels try to use templates and logos similar to credible news outlets.
Videos from the channel also use misleading images, catchy titles and share misinformation on a number of subjects including the Indian armed forces and the ongoing situation in Ukraine, to jeopardize India's relations with other countries.
With this, the government invoked emergency powers under new IT rules introduced in 2021, mostly aimed at regulating large social media companies and giving the government more power to remove content.
The government first used this power late last year, when it blocked 18 YouTube channels. The government also said it had blocked 55 YouTube channels as well as several social media accounts on Facebook and Twitter since December.
"Multiple YouTube channels are used to post fake news on various subjects like Indian Armed Forces, Jammu and Kashmir, etc," said India's Ministry of Information and Broadcasting as quoted by Reuters, Wednesday, April 6.
"The content ordered to be blocked also includes certain anti-India content posted from several social media accounts operated in a coordinated manner from Pakistan," he added.
Apparently, India has been seeking tougher action from US tech giants including Google and Facebook over spreading fake news on their platforms.
At a meeting in February, officials told the company that their inaction forced the government to order the removal of content, which in turn drew international criticism that India severely suppresses freedom of expression.
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