Government blocks 104 YouTube channels

Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur said the government ordered companies to block 104 YouTube channels, four Facebook accounts, 45 videos, three Instagram accounts, five Twitter accounts and six websites for threatening national security and spreading fake news. Social media handles and channels were blocked under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, which can be invoked to restrict access to content in the interest of the country's sovereignty and integrity. The union minister reported this while responding to a query in the Rajya Sabha.

As reported by the PTI news agency, MeitY ordered social media companies to block 1,643 user-generated URLs, including web pages, websites, posts and accounts on social media from 2021 to October 2022 under the provisions of Part II of IT. Rules. The union minister said: "The government has taken action under these rules, and if required, we will not hesitate to take such action in the future".

Among the YouTube channels, three fake news accounts, Aaj Tak Live, News Headlines, and Sarkari Updates were also blocked. The government clarified that Aaj Tak Live's YouTube page is not associated with India Today Group. The YouTube account misled viewers by using thumbnails of TV news channels and their hosts.

Previously, the government used the same provision of the IT law to block Chinese apps and websites in the country. These were secured to protect the sovereignty and integrity of the country. Some Chinese apps banned in India include TikTok, WeChat, PUBG Mobile, CamScanner, Alibaba, and Weibo. Krafton's latest BGMI, the modded version of PUBG Mobile for India, also remains banned.

Meanwhile, global social media companies must also submit a compliance report to the government every month under Rule 4(1)(d) of the Information Technology Act. According to WhatsApp's November 2022 "User Security Report", the platform banned 3,716,000 WhatsApp accounts before users reported it. These were blocked to "prevent harmful behaviour on the platform." In addition, WhatsApp's parent company Meta released its compliance report, saying that its platforms, Facebook and Instagram, removed nearly 22.9 million posts in November in India.