Union minister Anurag Thakur on Thursday stated 104 YouTube channels, 45 movies, 4 Facebook accounts, three Instagram accounts, 5 Twitter handles and 6 web sites have been blocked for spreading misinformation and threatening nationwide safety.

Responding to questions within the Rajya Sabha, Thakur stated part 69A of the Information Technology Act supplies for blocking of content material over digital media within the curiosity of the sovereignty or integrity of India, defence of India, safety of the State, pleasant relations with overseas States or public order or for stopping incitement to the fee of any cognizable offence referring to the above.

He stated beneath the provisions of Part-II of the IT Rules, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) issued instructions to dam 1,643 user-generated URLs, together with webpages, web sites, posts and accounts on social media platforms from 2021 to October 2022.

“The government has taken action under these rules and if required, we will not hesitate to take such action in the future,” Thakur stated.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, the federal government requested YouTube to take down three channels for making false and sensational claims about numerous public welfare initiatives and spreading faux information. The three channels have been declared as peddlers of faux information by the Press Information Bureau Fact Check Unit on Tuesday.

“The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting has directed YouTube to take down the three channels Aaj Tak Live, News Headlines and Sarkari Updates,” an official supply stated Wednesday.

Aaj Tak Live just isn’t related to the India Today Group, the federal government had clarified.

The channels have been utilizing thumbnails and pictures of TV information channels and their anchors to mislead viewers into believing that the information shared by them was genuine, an official assertion stated on Tuesday.