IT Ministry Blocks 73 Accounts on Twitter, and 4 Youtube Channels for Spreading Fake Information
Robert L. Ohlson Robert L. Ohlson 
Recently, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Minister of State for Information Technology, announced that Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook accounts were suspended for spreading “false, inflammatory” information.
False news is more dangerous than any other threat right now. It is irresponsible, spreads like wildfire, and also because it has a greater impact on nation-building than we realize. Another unverified piece circulated on YouTube and Twitter recently. It included a fake video (animated) of a cabinet briefing, depicting violence against Prime Minister and making disparaging remarks about women. This has been met with disapproval by the government who tried to stop the spread of misinformation and inflammatory nature.
This has resulted in 73 Twitter accounts being suspended, 4 YouTube videos being deleted and one Instagram game being removed.
Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Minister of State for Information Technology, announced Saturday, January 8th that Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook were suspended for spreading “false, inflammatory” information.
Minister tweets: “Owners are being identified for criminal action.” He also stated that investigations will be conducted into these social media networks.
The administration took this action following Minister Rajiv Chandrashekhar’s complaint. In December last year, the government also ordered the closure of many YouTube channels. Officials said that Delhi Police had filed a complaint following the discovery of a modified video from a meeting of the cabinet committee in which some people tried to portray the gathering as anti-Sikh. Sources claim that these handles were related to Pakistan. After receiving information, Minister Chandrashekhar filed a complaint.
The Information and Broadcasting Ministry reports that around 20 YouTube channels and 2 websites were blocked by intelligence agencies in cooperation with the Information and Broadcasting Ministry because they were spreading anti-India propaganda and fake information.
Two directives were issued by the government. The first directed YouTube to ban 20 channels, and the second directed YouTube to block two news sites.
