Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has blocked 16 YouTube news channels for providing false information about the country’s national security.

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has shut down 16 YouTube news channels for propagating false information about the country’s national security, foreign policy, and public order. The Information Technology Rules of 2021 have prohibited ten Indian and six Pakistani YouTube channels.

These YouTube channels, according to the Ministry, were circulating false, unconfirmed information in order to cause fear, stir communal strife, and disrupt public order in the country. These YouTube channels have a combined viewership of more than 68 million people. Saini Education Research, Hindi Mein Dekho, Aaj Te News, SBB News, Defence News 24×7, and Tahaffuz-E-Deen India are among the Indian YouTube channels that have been restricted. Aaj Tak Pakistan, Discover Point, Reality Checks, Kaiser Khan, The Voice of Asia, and Bol Media Bol are among the Pakistani YouTube channels that have been disabled.

YouTube channels headquartered in Pakistan were discovered to have been utilised in a coordinated manner to publish fake news regarding the Indian Army, Jammu and Kashmir, and India’s foreign relations in light of the situation in Ukraine, according to the Information and Broadcasting Ministry. The content of these channels was found to be wholly incorrect and sensitive in terms of India’s national security, sovereignty, and integrity, as well as its good relations with other countries. Multiple country-based YouTube channels have been identified to disseminate unsubstantiated news and videos with the potential to cause fear among diverse sections of the society, according to the Ministry.