94 YouTube channels, 747 URLs blocked in FY21 for spreading fake news: Govt

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 Rajya Sabha, Thakur said these actions have been taken under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act 2000.

The minister said that the government has strongly acted against agencies working against the sovereignty of the country by spreading fake news and spreading propaganda on the internet.

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, to which people can refer information related to Covid for verification.

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.