35 Pakistan Based Youtube Channels Blocked

On Friday, the Union Ministry of Information and Communications announced a ban on 35 YouTube channels, two websites, two Twitter accounts, two Instagram accounts and one Facebook account operating from Pakistan and spreading ” misinformation ”against India ”.

Apurva Chandra, Minister of Communications and Information, spoke at a press conference in New Delhi on Thursday, noting that the order was issued with emergency powers under the 2021 rule on information technology (direction). Intermediary Guidelines and Code of Ethics for Digital Media).

 

According to him, intermediaries, including YouTube, are working to block channels, a process that takes about 24 hours. Mr Chandra called it a ” war against disinformation against the country ” and said the media would eventually be blocked within two, after 20 were stopped in December 2021.

The article’s content seems to violate the country’s sovereignty, he said. During the briefing, the Ministry released several video content from the channels mentioned, including one that alluded to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to be responsible for the helicopter crash that left the Chief of the General Staffroom, General Bipin Rawat was killed in December. Another video involved North Korean troops arriving in Ladakh.

 Mr Chandra reports that there are 1.2 crore subscribers and 130 views on all these channels. Their statement said the Department issued the order on Thursday after receiving information from intelligence agencies.

Vikram Sahay, general secretary, authorized under the Information Technology Act, said an order had been given to block social media websites and internet service providers.

He also pointed out that the channels providing ” anti-India ” content focus on the Indian Armed Forces, Jammu and Kashmir, India’s foreign relations, the death of General Rawat, separatism and disorder. Public order, which means they must comply with Section 69A of the Information Technology Act of 2000 (allowed to intercept information accessed through computer resources). 

The information ministry said the blocked channels include ” Khabar with Facts ”, ” Global Truth ” and ” Information Hub ” affiliated to VOA, as well as ” Apni Duniya TV ” and ” Khoji TV ”.

In addition to White News and DNow, YouTube channels are also blocked. Blocked websites are White News and DNow. During the investigation, the ministry identified 35 accounts operating from Pakistan and four coordinated disinformation networks connected to them.
These include the Apni Duniya network, which has 14 YouTube channels, and the Talha Films network, 13 YouTube channels. Four chains work in sync with each other in addition to the other two, the ministry added.

In its statement, Chandra encouraged the public and intermediaries to take action against these chains, noting that the Department will continue to act. During a press conference, I&B Minister Apurva Chandra announced the government’s decision, saying that these YouTube accounts and channels have nearly 130 views.

“This account is registered outside of Pakistan. They spread fake news and there is a fake news war with India,” the Minister of Information and Broadcasting said.

According to IT regulations, I&B Deputy Minister Vikram Sahay announced that they had blocked 35 YouTube channels along with 2 Twitter accounts, 2 Instagram Accounts, two websites and finally 1 Facebook Accounts. An official revealed that these media channels and social media accounts are used as a platform for propaganda against India.

Following the information provided by intelligence agencies, Sahay said immediate action was taken, adding that social media intermediaries should also be aware of this type of activity.

Vikram Sahay, Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, said: ” The popularity of the channels is evident in the fact that they have 1.2 subscribers and more than 130 views. Content blocking.

This is a difficult task, but the department As stated in a written statement, the 35 accounts blocked by the Department were all operating from Pakistan and were identified as being linked to four coordinated disinformation networks.

Were blocked by the Ministry of I&B, including ” Khabar with Facts ”, ” Global Truth ”, ” Information Hub ”, ” Apni Dunya TV ” and ” Bowl Media TV ”. In addition to the two websites censored by the Ministry, dnowmedia.com and whiteproductions.com.pk are also blocked.

Almost all accounts have been blocked by social media intermediaries, Apurva Chandra, I&B secretary, told India Today yesterday. ” We wrote to the middlemen yesterday, and they asked for it in 24 hours.

His comment was emphasised that the disinformation wars against the country are malicious and insulting to the owner. Rights and integrity of the country. Chandra explained the fake content aired by saying, ” There is a story in which Bipin Rawat is murdered, and NSA Ajit Doval is behind the crash. ”

 He said there was another disinformation campaign claiming that one of Rawat’s daughters would convert to Islam after her father’s death. As of December 2021, the central government has blocked 20 YouTube channels and two websites linked to Pakistan.
According to intelligence reports, this decision was taken. An official government statement said these channels and websites contain anti-India content, go against the national security, sovereignty and integrity of India and have the potential to disrupt public order.

And on the other hand, fake news has been observed spreading non-stop on YouTube channels regarding the death of the former Chief of the General Staff of Defense, the late General Bipin Rawat.

Indian intelligence agencies have closely monitored the accounts and websites on this social network and warned the Ministry that they should be taken down immediately.

 Modus Operandi

The 35 accounts that the Ministry blocked were all operating from Pakistan, and all belonged to four coordinated disinformation networks.

Among them is the Apni Duniya network, which operates 14 YouTube channels and the Talha Films network which operates 13 YouTube channels. In addition, four tracks, along with two others, are also found.

Thirty-five active accounts from Pakistan, and the Ministry have identified them as part of four coordinated disinformation networks.

Two of them were identified as Apni Duniya Network, which operates 14 YouTube channels, and Talha Films Network, 13 YouTube channels. It appears that all of these networks have the same purpose of disseminating disinformation aimed at the Indian public, the Ministry said.

EXPLAINED:

Pakistan channels and websites have increased anti-India propaganda on social media after increasing anti-India propaganda.

Smart Input has been used to tune online content. Officials say the challenge could soon be mitigated by increased blocking of these channels and websites. Popular hashtags and edits were used, and range from both channels was cross-promoted.

They have tapped several channels with Pakistani TV news channels. It is clear that the channels broadcast content that promotes separatism divides India along religious lines and creates hatred between different sections of Indian society.

It is feared that such information will incite the public to commit crimes that harm the public order of the country, ” the ministry statement said.

In an interview with reporters, I&B Secretary Apurva Chandra said these channels have a total subscriber count of 1.2 crores and over 130 crore views. According to Apurva Chandra, these are ” very malicious channels ”. Chandra says he is fighting against the federal government. ” We are waging a war of disinformation, ” he said.

To block these channels, the department invoked Section 69A of the Information Technology Act 2000.

According to information received by the ministry last December, the Ministry has blocked 20 YouTube channels and two websites. ” On Thursday, the Department received new information, ” he said. One of the commonalities between the blocked channels is that ” they operate from Pakistan and distribute fake anti-India content ”.

Furthermore, he noted that the content deals with ” serious issues ”, including ” Indian armed forces, Jammu and Kashmir, India’s foreign relations, separatism ”, and what recent death of the Chief of the General Staff of Defense, General Bipin Rawat.

“Now those intelligence agencies have a better understanding of this,” he added in an interview. “Now that the process has begun, we expect to see more and more restrictions on these types of channels.”.

Mr Bauer urged people to submit comments to the Department on any channels or websites used to distribute content like this. The role of intermediaries, such as YouTube and Facebook, is also their responsibility, Chandra said, and such content should be flagged by those companies.

By comparison, he added, the ministry has received a ” very positive response ” from intermediaries. Last December, when the last such order was issued, it was executed within 24 hours and the hacker was blocked ” globally ”.

edited and proofread by nikita sharma