Featured

India Blocks 35 Pak-Funded Channels, 2 Websites For Spreading Anti-India Fake News

By
OB Bureau

New Delhi: The Indian government has come down hard on Pakistan-funded fake news networks, blocking 35 YouTube-based news channels and 2 websites involved in spreading anti-India fake news in a coordinated manner over digital media.

The YouTube accounts blocked by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting have a subscriber base of more than 1.2 crore, while their videos have over 130 crore views.

Two Twitter accounts, two Instagram accounts and one Facebook account have also been blocked by India for spreading anti-India disinformation on Internet.

Indian intelligence agencies, which had been closely monitoring these social media accounts and websites, flagged those to the I & B ministry for immediate action.

According to the Ministry, the accounts blocked were all operating from Pakistan. They were identified to be part of four coordinated disinformation networks – including Apni Duniya Network which was operating 14 YouTube channels and Talha Films Network operating 13 YouTube channels.

A set of four channels and another set of two channels were also found to be acting in synchronization with each other.

Modus operandi

The goal of all these networks appeared to be spreading fake news “oriented towards the Indian audience”.

The channels which were part of a network used “common hashtags and editing styles, and were being operated by common persons, and cross promoted each other’s content”, the Ministry said in a release, giving details of channels, examples of fake content and screenshots of those.

“Some of the YouTube channels were being operated by anchors of Pakistani TV news channels,” added the press release.

Nature of content

These channels, websites and social media accounts were used by Pakistan for spreading anti-India fake news about sensitive subjects related to India, the Ministry informed. The topics included Indian Army, Jammu & Kashmir and India’s foreign relations with other countries.

OB Bureau

Recent Posts

Odisha Elections 2024: Will BJD Repeat Bypoll Winners Dipali Das, Barsha Singh Bariha & Alaka Mohanty?

Bhubaneswar: Fate of three BJD MLAs, who won bypolls since 2019, is hanging in balance…

March 29, 2024

Gangster-Politician Mukhtar Ansari Dies; Know The Illustrious Lineage Of The UP Don

Banda: Gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari died at the age of 60 following a heart attack in…

March 29, 2024

Former Salepur MLA Prakash Behera Quits BJP Ahead Of Odisha Elections

Bhubaneswar: Former Salepur MLA and BJP Cuttack district president Prakash Chandra Behera quit the saffron…

March 29, 2024

Man Stabs Brother-In-Law To Death In Odisha’s Sundargarh

Sundargarh: Police arrested a man for allegedly killing his brother-in-law for torturing his sister in…

March 28, 2024

Heavyweight Collaboration: In A First, Reliance Picks Up 26% Stake In Adani Power Project

Mumbai: This is what you call a heavyweight collaboration. In a first-of-its-kind collaboration between rival…

March 28, 2024

PDS Queues Longer, Market Price Of Rice Higher As Kashmir Ditches Paddy For Apple Crop, Urbanisation

Mohammad Aatif Ammad Kanth Anantnag (Jammu & Kashmir): On a chilly winter morning, Irshad Bhat…

March 28, 2024

Odisha Polls: Former Chitrakonda MLA Dambaru Sisa Resigns From BJD

Bhubaneswar: The former MLA of BJD from Chitrakonda in Odisha's Malkangiri district, Dambaru Sisa, on…

March 28, 2024

LS Polls: JMM Nominates Anjani Soren For Odisha’s Mayurbhanj Seat

Bhubaneswar: The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) has announced Anjani Soren as its candidate for Lok…

March 28, 2024