India strikes hard on Pakistani-backed 35 YouTube channels

India banned 35 YouTube channels, 2 websites and multiple social media accounts for spreading "fake news". Conveying the government's decision, ministry of information and broadcasting Secretary Apurva Chandra on Friday,said during a press conference that content posted by these YouTube channels and accounts had nearly 130 crore views.These include the Apni Duniya Network operating 14 YouTube channels, and Talha Films Network operating 13 YouTube channels. A set of four channels, and a set of two other channels were also found to be acting in synchronization with each other. Fresh intelligence inputs were received against 35 YouTube accounts, two Twitter accounts, two Instagram accounts, two websites and one Facebook account,Chandra said. 

Our intelligence agencies are now alive to the situation and more such news channels on YouTube will get blocked, he said.  “This is also the responsibility of the intermediaries. YouTube should also see that these are absolutely fake news,” the secretary said adding that the blocking has been done taking recourse to the emergency provision. The Anti-India and fake content propagated by those channels included subjects like Indian armed forces, Jammu and Kashmir, India's foreign relations with other countries, the death of former CDS late Bipin Rawat, separatist ideas and notions, the ministry informed. 

The channels propagated content to encourage separatism, divide India on the lines of religion, and create animosity among the various sections of the Indian society. Such information was feared to have the potential to incite the audience into commission of crimes adversely affecting public order in the country. The recent action taken by the Government follows the blocking of 20 YouTube channels and 2 websites in December, 2021 when the emergency powers under the IT Rules, 2021 were first utilized to act against such anti-India fake news networks.