edited by: Shaurya Sharma
Last Update: December 21, 2022, 12:22 pm IST
Government of India has started action on misinformation. (Image: PIB India)
YouTube channels ‘News Headlines’, ‘Government Updates’ and ‘Aaj Tak Live’ were spreading false and sensational claims about Supreme Court of India, Chief Justice of India, government schemes, electronic voting machine and farm loan waiver.
The Fact Check Division of the Press Information Bureau (PIB), Government of India, has unearthed three YouTube channels spreading misinformation on the platform. These channels, which had a combined subscriber base of approximately 330,000 and more than 300 million views, were found to be promoting fake news.
According to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting report, three YouTube channels namely – ‘News Headlines’, ‘Government Updates’ and ‘Aaj Tak Live’ were spreading “false and sensational claims” about the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India, Hon’ble Prime Minister of India Judges, Government Schemes, Electronic Voting Machine (EVM), Farm loan waiver etc.
Fake news such as Supreme Court’s decision on ballot paper elections, government giving money to bank accounts, Aadhaar and PAN card holders and ban on EVMs were circulated through three channels.
By using fake, sensationalized thumbnails with TV channel logos and pictures of news anchors, the deceptive YouTube channels were tricking users into thinking that the video was legit. Additionally, the channels were also monetizing misinformation through advertisements on their videos.
In recent days, PIB Fact Check Unit has blocked more than 100 such channels for spreading misinformation as per the order of Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
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