Based on the inputs from intelligence agencies, the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting has directed YouTube to block 45 YouTube videos from 10 YouTube channels under the provisions of the Information Technology Rules 2021.
The blocked videos had a cumulative viewership of over 1 crore 30 lakh views. According to a statement issued by the ministry, the content included fake news and morphed videos shared with the intent to spread hatred among religious communities, causing communal disharmony and disrupting public order in the country.
The ministry claims that some of the videos blocked were being used to spread disinformation on issues related to the Agnipath scheme, the Indian Armed Forces, India’s national security apparatus, Kashmir, etc. Even certain videos depicted inaccurate external boundaries of India with parts of J&K and Ladakh outside the Indian territory.
False claims such as the Government has taken away the religious rights of certain communities, violent threats against religious communities, declaration of civil war in India, et, were being spread by these videos.
The content was observed to be false and sensitive from the perspective of national security and India’s friendly relations with foreign States. The ministry had blocked 78 news channels, 560 URLs since 2021.
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