Three YouTube channels busted by PIB for spreading false information

Kanwar Inder singh/ royalpatiala.in

In a series of over 40 fact-checks, the Press Information Bureau’s PIB Fact Check Unit (FCU) busted three YouTube channels which were spreading false information in India. These YouTube channels had nearly 33 lakh subscribers and their videos, almost all of which were found to be false, were watched over 30 crore times.

This is the first time when Press Information Bureau (PIB) has exposed entire social media channels as against individual posts on social media spreading false claims. Details of the YouTube channels fact-checked by Press Information Bureau (PIB) are as under:

Sl. No.	Name of YouTube Channel	Subscribers	Views
	News Headlines	9.67 lakh	31,75,32,290
	Sarkari Update	22.6 lakh	8,83,594
	आज तक LIVE	65.6 thousand	1,25,04,177

These social media channels spread false and sensational claims about the Supreme Court of India, Chief Justice of India, Government schemes, Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), farm loan waivers, etc. among other fake news. Examples include fake news such as the Supreme Court to have ruled that future elections would be conducted by ballot papers; Government giving money to people who have bank accounts, Aadhar Cards and PAN cards; ban on EVMs, President rule in India etc.

The social media channels were observed to be using fake and sensational thumbnails with logos of TV channels and images of their news anchors to mislead the viewers to believe that the news was authentic. These channels were also found to be displaying advertisements on their videos, and monetizing misinformation on YouTube.

Three YouTube channels busted by PIB for spreading false information. but, till now action taken by PIB Fact Check Unit follows blocking of over one hundred of social media channels by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in the past one year.