The government on Wednesday asked YouTube to take down three channels for making false and sensational claims about various public welfare initiatives and spreading fake news.
The three channels were declared as peddlers of fake news by the Press Information Bureau Fact Check Unit on Tuesday.
"The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting has directed YouTube to take down the three channels Aaj Tak Live, News Headlines and Sarkari Updates," an official source told Press Trust of India on Wednesday.
Aaj Tak Live is not associated with the India Today Group, the government had clarified.
The channels were using thumbnails and images of TV news channels and their anchors to mislead viewers into believing that the news shared by them was authentic, an official statement said on Tuesday.
"These channels were also found to be displaying advertisements on their videos, and monetising misinformation on YouTube," it had said.
The Fact Check unit of the Press Information Bureau said these YouTube channels spread false and sensational claims about the Supreme Court of India, chief justice of India, government schemes, Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and farm loan waivers among others.
They also made claims about the government giving money to people who have opened bank accounts, Aadhaar cards, PAN cards.
The three YouTube channels together have nearly 33 lakh subscribers and their videos have been watched over 30 crore times.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Featured Video Of The Day
"Deeply Concerned About Indians' Safety": Government On Canada Temple Attack
Thai YouTuber, Wanted In Fraud Case, Caught Posing As Local After Failing Indonesian Anthem Test Google Wins Trademark Lawsuit Over YouTube Shorts, Court Rules No Confusion 'Baby Shark' To 'Despacito', Here Are Top 10 Most Watched YouTube Videos In 2024 Canada Cop Who Attended Khalistani Protest Outside Hindu Temple Suspended Explained: Sunita Williams Experiences 16 Sunrises And Sunsets Every Day Video: Man Sits On Firecracker In Bet For New Vehicle. Explosion Kills Him Salman Khan Gets Another Threat From Lawrence Bishnoi Gang: Sources US Woman, Who Killed "Best Friend" For $9 Million, Opens Up About Murder CBSE To Open Office In Tripura After Schools' Poor Performance In Boards Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.