78 YouTube news channels, 560 URLs blocked since 2021: Min Anurag Thakur tells LS

As many as 78 news channels and 560 URLs on YouTube have been blocked by the government since 2021, the union minister of information and broadcasting Anurag Singh Thakur informed the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.

In a written reply to an unstarred question, Thakur said that the actions were initiated under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act.

Congress MP from Tamil Nadu, Manickam Tagore B had asked for the details of the number of YouTube channels blocked by the government and the circumstances thereof.

“The ministry of information and broadcasting has issued directions for blocking of 78 YouTube based news channels and their social media accounts for public access during 2021 and 2022 for violation of Section 69A of Information Technology Act, 2000. Ministry of electronics and information technology (MeitY) has blocked 560 YouTube URLs during the years 2021 and 2022,” the minister said in his reply.

Further, Thakur added that Section 69A of the Information Technology Act “empowers the central government to issue directions to any government agency or an intermediary to block content” in the interest of the country’s sovereignty, integrity, defence, security, foreign affairs, public order or to prevent incitement of any cognizable offence in such matters.