JAKARTA – A total of 22 YouTube channels have been banned in India, including four from Pakistan for spreading disinformation on national security and public order issues in the country.

India’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said blocked YouTube channels had a total of 2.6 billion viewers. All of these channels try to use similar designs and logos as credible media outlets.

The channel’s videos also use misleading images, catchy titles and share misinformation on a number of topics, including the Indian Armed Forces and the current situation in Ukraine, to jeopardize India’s relations with other countries. ‘other countries.

With that, the government invoked emergency powers under new IT rules introduced in 2021, aimed primarily at regulating big social media companies and giving the government more power to remove content.

The government first used this power late last year when it blocked 18 YouTube channels. The government also said it had blocked 55 YouTube channels as well as several social media accounts on Facebook and Twitter since December.

“Several YouTube channels are used to post fake news on various topics like Indian Armed Forces, Jammu and Kashmir, etc.,” India’s Information and Broadcasting Ministry said as quoted by ReutersWednesday 6 April.

“The content ordered blocked also includes some anti-Indian content posted from several social media accounts operated in a coordinated fashion from Pakistan,” it added.

Apparently, India has demanded tougher action from US tech giants, including Google and Facebook, for spreading fake news on their platforms.

At a meeting in February, officials told the company their inaction forced the government to order the content removed, prompting international criticism that India was harshly cracking down on free speech.