New Delhi: The Information and Broadcasting Ministry said on Tuesday that it has ordered the blocking of 20 YouTube channels and two websites in collaboration with intelligence agencies as they are spreading anti-India propaganda and fake news.
On Monday, the ministry issued two orders, one directing YouTube to block 20 channels and the other, to block news websites.
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“The channel and website belong to a coordinated propaganda network operating out of Pakistan and are spreading fake news about various sensitive topics related to India,” the Information and Broadcasting Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.
The channels were used to post divisive content in a coordinated manner on topics like “Kashmir, Indian Army, Minority Communities in India, Ram Mandir, Gen. Bipin Rawat etc”, it said.
In a video message, Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur said that “stern action” has been taken against 20 YouTube channels and two websites as they are creating an atmosphere of “fear and confusion” in India by running fake news and anti-India content. Were. Violation of Indian laws.
“Action has been taken against them under IT rules so that the agenda that Pakistan runs against India (to blur)… Strict action has been taken against them so that such forces do not work against India,” he said.
The minister also tweeted, “We have taken strict action against cross-border activities aimed at creating unrest in India by spreading fake news and propaganda.”
The ministry said in its statement that the modus operandi of the anti-India propaganda campaign includes the Pakistan-based Naya Pakistan Group (NPG), which has a network of YouTube channels, and some other standalone YouTube channels not belonging to the NPG.
“In a coordinated effort between intelligence agencies and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, the ministry on Monday ordered the blocking of 20 channels on YouTube and two websites spreading anti-India propaganda and fake news on the Internet,” it said.
The statement said that through two separate orders, “directs one of the 20 YouTube channels to YouTube, and the other to two news websites, to block the news channels/portals from the DoT for Internet service.” Requests to direct the providers”, the statement said.
The ministry shared a list of 20 YouTube channels that were ordered to be blocked, along with screen shots of some “factually incorrect and anti-India content” played on them, saying they have 35 He had a combined subscriber base of over a million people and his videos garnered over 550 million views.
It said, “Some YouTube channels of Naya Pakistan Group (NPG) were being operated by anchors of Pakistani news channels.”
The ministry said that these YouTube channels had posted content on issues such as farmers’ protests, protests related to the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and “attempts to incite minorities against the Indian government”.
It was also feared that these YouTube channels would be used to post content to undermine the democratic process of the upcoming elections in five states.
The ministry said it has secured the “information space in India” by ordering the blocking of 20 YouTube channels and two websites in exercise of emergency powers vested under Rule 16 of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Code of Conduct) worked to do. Rules, 2021.
“Most of the content pertains to sensitive topics from the point of view of national security and is factually incorrect, and is being posted in the form of a coordinated propaganda network primarily from Pakistan as in the case of the Naya Pakistan group against India. and as such, it is deemed fit. Action will be taken under the provisions of blocking of content in case of emergency.”
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The Information and Broadcasting Minister said that out of 20 YouTube channels, 15 are run by NPG.
The Punch Line, International Web News, Khalsa TV, The Naked Truth, 48 News, Fictional, Historical Facts, Punjab Viral, Naya Pakistan Global, Cover Story, Go Global eCommerce, Junaid Haleem Official, Tyeb Hanif, Zain Ali Official, Mohsin Rajput According to the details shared by the official ministry, Kaneez Fatima, Sadaf Durrani, Mian Imran Ahmed, Najam Ul Hasan Bajwa are among the 20 YouTube channels that have been ordered to be blocked.
Some of the “factually incorrect content” that these YouTube channels aired: ‘Joe Biden bans Modi because RSS destroys Christian schools’, ‘PM Modi concedes defeat in Kashmir – Article 370 reinstated’, ‘200 Indian Army jawans converted to Islam. According to the statement, ‘Srinagar’, ‘5000 Assam Muslims join Afghan Taliban’ and ‘Pakistan war jets entered Kashmir – beginning of nuclear war’.
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