India has blocked 22 YouTube channels of spreading fake news, Most of them are Indian
The Indian government announced on Tuesday that it has blocked 22 YouTube channels, including four of Pakistani origin, for disinformation on national security and public order issues, marking the country’s latest governmental crackdown.
The prohibited YouTube channels had a total of 2.6 billion visitors, according to the country’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
The government said it had suspended 18 Indian YouTube channels for the first time, citing “emergency powers” under Indian IT legislation. Previous measures had focused on accounts it claimed were managed from Pakistan.
The Indian government said in a statement that “several YouTube channels were exploited to publish fake news on diverse issues such as the Indian Armed Forces.”
Similar emergency powers were used by the information ministry in December and January to restrict 55 channels on Alphabet Inc’s (GOOGL.O) YouTube, as well as several Twitter and Facebook profiles.
The Indian government has started enforcing new IT rules enacted in 2021, which were targeted primarily at controlling huge social media companies and giving the government additional authority to remove content.
India has been pressuring US digital companies such as Google and Facebook to take greater measures against what it calls “false news” on their platforms.
Central govt blocked 22 youtube channels, 18 were operating from India while 4 were from Pakistan. We’ve blocked such channels earlier too, the total number of blocked channels stands at 78: Union I&B min Anurag Thakur
Central govt blocked 22 youtube channels, 18 were operating from India while 4 were from Pakistan. We've blocked such channels earlier too, the total number of blocked channels stands at 78: Union I&B min Anurag Thakur pic.twitter.com/77kYrQL3o2
— ANI (@ANI) April 5, 2022
Officials notified the companies in February that their inaction was causing the government to order content takedowns, which sparked widespread accusations that authorities were restricting free speech, according to Reuters.
In that discussion, Google suggested that the ministry refrain from making takedown judgments public, but the notion was roundly dismissed by officials.
