India blocks 22 YouTube channels including 4 Pakistani channels for spreading disinformation: Check Pakistani YouTube Channel Banned in India list

22 YouTube Channel Ban List: The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has blocked 22 YouTube channels including 4 Pakistan-based YouTube news channels for spreading disinformation related to India’s national security, foreign relations and public order. 

India has blocked 18  Indian YouTube news channels blocked for the first time under IT Rules, 2021 and 4 Pakistan based YouTube news channels that used logos of   TV news channels & false thumbnails to mislead viewers. The I&B Ministry has also blocked 3 Twitter accounts, 1 Facebook account and 1 news website. 

I&B Ministry blocks 22 YouTube channels including 4 Pakistan-based YouTube news channels for spreading disinformation related to India’s national security, foreign relations, and public order.

3 Twitter accounts, 1 Facebook account & 1 news website also blocked pic.twitter.com/JtPC13MNHj

— ANI (@ANI) April 5, 2022

22 YouTube Channel Ban List: 18 Indian YouTube Channels, 4 Pakistan-based 

Banned Twitter accounts - 3 Pakistan-Based Twitter Accounts

Banned Facebook account

Banned News Website

Why has India blocked 22 YouTube Channels?

The blocked YouTube channels had a cumulative viewership of over 260 crore. According to I&B Ministry, the channels were being used to spread fake news and coordinated disinformation over social media on sensitive subjects from the perspective of public order, India's foreign relations and national security.

India has taken such an action against India-based YouTube channels for the first time since the notification of the IT Rules, 2021 in February 2021. The channels were blocked as they were being used to post fake news on various subjects including Indian Armed Forces and Jammu and Kashmir. The channels also included anti-India content posted from multiple social media accounts operated from Pakistan.

A significant amount of fake content published by the Indian YouTube channels were related to the ongoing War in Ukraine and were aimed at  jeopardizing India’s foreign relations with other countries. The blocked YouTubed channels were using templates and logos, thumbnails of certain TV news channels including images of their news anchors to mislead the viewers to believe that their news was authentic.

The title and thumbnail of the videos was edited frequently to increase the virality of the content on social media.

India bans Pakistani YouTube Channels

The Ministry of information and broadcasting has blocked a total of 78 YouTube channels and other social media accounts since December 2021 on grounds related to national security, sovereignty, to maintain public order and integrity of India.

India had banned 35 YouTube channels operating from Pakistan and two websites for spreading misinformation about India in January 2022. The Pakistani YouTube Channels banned in India included the Apni Duniya Network that operated 14 YouTube channels and Talha Films Network that operated 13 YouTube channels. The list also included a set of another four channels andd a set of another two.

The channels were being monitored by the Indian intelligence agencies and later flagged to the Ministry for immediate action. The YouTube channels had a total subscriber base of over 12 million. Their video views reached almost 1.3 billion.  Besides this, the Ministry had also blocked two Instagram accounts, two Twitter handles and a Facebook page for spreading anti-India misinformation over the internet. 

Prior to that, India had blocked 20 YouTube channels and 2 websites in December 2021 for spreading anti-India propaganda and fake news content on the internet.

Read Also: 20 YouTube Channels Banned along with 2 Websites by Govt: Check the List here