Government blocks 45 videos on 10 YouTube channels, says Anurag Thakur

Government has ordered the blocking of 45 videos from 10 YouTube channels that contained fake news and morphed content with the intent to spread hatred amongst religious communities, Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur said on Monday. The blocked videos had a cumulative viewership of over 1.30 crore and claimed that the government had taken away the religious rights of certain communities, an official statement said.

"These channels had content that spread fear and misconception among communities," Thakur said. An official statement said the blocked content included fake news and morphed videos spread with the intent to spread hatred among religious communities.

"Some of the videos blocked by the Ministry were being used to spread disinformation on issues related to Agnipath scheme, Indian Armed Forces, India's national security apparatus, Kashmir," it said. The content was observed to be false and sensitive from the perspective of national security and India's friendly relations with foreign nations, it added.