The Fact-Check Unit of the Press Information Bureau, which operates under the Information and Broadcasting Ministry, Friday released multiple reports on social media to counter the alleged false information spread by nine YouTube channels.
The YouTube channels were found to have a cumulative base of 83 lakh subscribers, officials in the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting said.
Officials said these channels misattributed derogatory statements to persons occupying constitutional positions, including the Chief Justice of India, Prime Minister and Chief Election Commissioner. “Some channels falsely claimed imposition of President’s Rule in certain states, ban on Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), and even the resignation or death of union ministers,” said an official source, adding that they use ‘sensational headlines’ to lure users into clicking the links.
The channels in question are Bajrang Education (24.3 lakh subscribers), Aapke Guruji (34.7 lakh), Bj News (5.29 lakh), Sansani Live TV (4.33 lakh), GVT News (8.16 lakh), Daily Study (3.35 lakh), Bharat Ekta News (11,700), Ab Bolega Bharat (1.78 lakh) and Sarkari Yojana Official (1 lakh).
The fake content in the channels is on Indian functionaries and a lot of the content is in Hindi, so there is a high likelihood that they are from India, official sources say.
Sources said YouTube has been duly informed about the nature of misinformation being spread even as the government has initiated no action on its own.
In the recent past, the government has blocked several YouTube channels by invoking the Emergency powers under The Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, citing national security concerns.
The government is concerned about YouTube “allowing an ecosystem of fake news”, and use of clickbait, sensational false thumbnails to drive traffic, they add.
Earlier also, the Centre had flagged these concerns to YouTube. Since December 2022, the PIB has exposed 26 such YouTube channels for allegedly publishing false information. Over 120 YouTube channels have been blocked by the I&B Ministry under the provisions of the IT Rules, 2021.
Divya A reports on travel, tourism, culture and social issues – not necessarily in that order – for The Indian Express. She's been a journalist for over a decade now, working with Khaleej Times and The Times of India, before settling down at Express. Besides writing/ editing news reports, she indulges her pen to write short stories. As Sanskriti Prabha Dutt Fellow for Excellence in Journalism, she is researching on the lives of the children of sex workers in India. … Read More 
Divya ADivya A reports on culture, tourism, media & broadcasting, visa is… read more