94 YouTube channels, 19 social media accounts, and 747 universal resource locators (URLs) were all blocked by the government for propagating false information between 2021 and 2022, according to Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur on Thursday.
In response to a query in the Rajya Sabha, Thakur stated that these steps were carried out in accordance with Section 69A of the Information Technology Act 2000.
According to the minister, the government has taken severe action against organisations that use the internet to promote misinformation and false information in an effort to undermine the sovereignty of the nation.
According to Thakur, a special cell of the Press Information Bureau’s (PIB) fact-checking section was established on March 31, 2020, and anyone with information about COVID-19 can use it to double-check its accuracy.
According to Thakur, the unit has answered 34,125 questions that might be taken action on, including those on COVID-19. He also noted that the PIB has debunked 875 posts of fake news on its social media platforms.
April saw recent directives from the I&B Ministry to prohibit 22 YouTube-based news stations, three Twitter accounts, one Facebook account, and one news website. According to the report, the blocked YouTube channels were used to spread false information on social media and organise disinformation campaigns on topics that were sensitive from the perspectives of national security, India’s relations with other countries, and public order. The blocked YouTube channels had a cumulative viewership of over 260 crore, it had claimed. It further stated that this was carried out in accordance with the IT Rules of 2021’s emergency powers.
