YouTube channels BANNED again by Govt! 16 channels also include ones from Pakistan

YouTube channels have been blocked by the Government of India once again. After the ban from last month, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has blocked 16 more YouTube channels in the interest of misinformation against national security. Out of these, there are six channels of Pakistani-origin, while the rest come from India. The ban applies permanently on these news channels as of now.

"False, unverified information to create panic, incite communal disharmony and disturb public order in India", the statement issued by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said. These blocked YouTube and Facebook channels used to provide a collected viewership of 68 crores. “None of the digital news publishers had furnished information to the ministry as required under Rule 18 of the IT Rules, 2021," it added.

Govt blocks YouTube channels again

The main reason behind the ban was related to these channels and accounts publishing content that referred to members of a particular community as terrorists. These contents were also claimed to incite religious hatred among communities. The blocked YouTube channels from Pakistan were found to be used in a coordinated manner to post fake news about India. The topics include various subjects such as the Army, Jammu and Kashmir and foreign relations in the light of the situation in war-hit Ukraine.

"Such content was found to have the potential to create communal disharmony and disturb public order," it said. The ministry said multiple India-based YouTube channels were publishing unverified news and videos that had the potential to trigger panic among various sections of the society.

"Examples include false claims related to announcement of a pan-India lockdown due to COVID-19, thereby threatening the migrant workers, and fabricated claims alleging threats to certain religious communities etc. Such content was observed to be detrimental to public order in the country," it said.

The list of blocked channels from India include MRF TV LIVE, Saini Education Research, Tahaffuz-e-Deen India and SBB News. The list of banned accounts from Pakistan include AjTak Pakistan, Discover Point, Reality Checks and The Voice of Asia.

"The content of these channels was observed to be completely false and sensitive from the perspective of national security, sovereignty and integrity of India, and India's friendly relations with foreign States," the ministry added.