The government has ordered 2 Kashmir-related websites and 20 YouTube channels to be blocked under the new IT rules notified earlier this year, an I&B Ministry statement said today.
The channels and websites have been deemed to ‘belong to a coordinated disinformation network operating from Pakistan’ according to the official report.
The new IT rules, which came into effect in February, introduced an ethics code for digital media and OTT platforms to appoint grievance redressal officers and instituted a three-tier mechanism for grievance redressal, with an inter-ministerial committee at its apex and spelt out the steps to be taken by the I&B ministry on dealing with content that falls foul of the code.
This is the first time that the information and broadcasting ministry has invoked its powers under the new IT rules.
The 20 YouTube channels include The Punch Line, International Web News, Khalsa Tv, The Naked Truth, News 24, 48 news, Fictional, Historical Facts, Punjab Viral, Naya Pakistan Global and Cover Story, among others.
The two websites, Kashmir Global and Kashmir Watch, have been ordered to be blocked in their entirety.
I&B minister Anurag Thakur attempts to spread anti-India content from across the border were first assessed and the requisuite action taken thereon. ‘These channels and web portals were in violation of the law,’ Thakur noted.
‘Strict action has been taken against websites which seek to promote Pakistans agenda and prevent them from working against India,’ he added.