Seven Indian and one Pakistani YouTube news channels have been stopped by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry (I&B) for allegedly propagating false information about India's public order, foreign relations, and national security.
Over 114 crore views and 85.73 lakh subscriptions came from the prohibited channels. An official stated that two YouTube channels had been disabled because "fake anti-India content was being monetized by the prohibited channels on YouTube," and that two Facebook posts and an account had also been taken down.
"The content posted by some of these YouTube channels was intended to sow division among India's many religious communities. In several films, false statements were made, according to a statement from the Ministry.
The Ministry claimed that false information was being distributed, including claims that the Central government had ordered the destruction of religious buildings and outlawed the celebration of religious holidays. "Declaration of religious war in India, etc." was discussed on one channel. According to the report, "Such content was found to have the potential to cause intergroup strife and destabilize national order."
The YouTube channels have also been accused of publishing "fake news" that is "totally incorrect and sensitive from the standpoint of national security and India's good relations with foreign States" on topics like the Indian armed forces and Jammu & Kashmir.
The restricted Indian stations have been tricking users into thinking that their video was real by utilizing sensational or fake thumbnails, pictures of news anchors, and the logos of specific TV news networks. In their films, all the channels were running commercials with incorrect information that was also "harmful to communal unity, public order, and India's foreign relations."
The Ministry has issued directives for suspending 102 YouTube news channels and numerous other social media accounts since December of last year.
