The Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting ordered a ban on 35 YouTube channels, two websites, two Twitter accounts, two Instagram accounts and one Facebook account that were operating from Pakistan and spreading “anti-India disinformation”, the Ministry said on Friday.
Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, Information and Broadcasting Secretary Apurva Chandra said the order was issued on Thursday using emergency powers under the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. He said the intermediaries, including YouTube, were in the process of blocking the channels, something which takes around 24 hours. Terming it a “war of misinformation against the country”, Mr. Chandra said the latest channels to be blocked were the second set, after 20 were blocked in December 2021. He said the content was against the sovereignty of the country.
