NEW DELHI: Information and Broadcasting minister Anurag Thakur on Thursday said the government blocked 94 YouTube channels, 19 social media accounts and 747 uniform resource locators (URLs) during 2021-22 for spreading fake news.
Responding to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Thakur said the action had been taken under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act 2000. The government has strongly acted against agencies working against the sovereignty of the country by spreading fake news and propaganda on the internet, he added.
Thakur said in order to check the spread of Covid-19 related fake news, a dedicated cell of the fact-checking unit of the Press Information Bureau (PIB) was created on March 31, 2020. The unit has responded to 34,125 actionable queries, including queries related to Covid-19, Thakur said, adding that the PIB has also busted fake news and 875 posts thereof on its social media platforms.
The crackdown on digital channels, portals, and social media handles running an anti-India agenda and spreading fake news began in December when the ministry issued directions for blocking 20 YouTube Channels and two websites, operating from Pakistan under the same provisions for the first time. Since then, the ministry has been blocking digital media channels in a phased manner.