NEW DELHI – Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur said on Thursday that in 2021-22, the ministry took strong action against YouTube channels working against the “interest of the country”.

Responding to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Thakur said the ministry acted against 94 YouTube channels, 19 social media accounts and 747 URLs and got them blocked.

“These actions were taken under Section 69A of Information Technology Act,” he said.

The minister added that the government acted strongly against agencies “working against the sovereignty of the country by spreading fake news and propaganda on the internet”.

Referring to Alt News co-founder Mohammad Zubair, who was granted bail by the Supreme Court on Wednesday, Thakur claimed that it is essential to know the difference between a ‘fact-checker’ and someone who is trying to create tension in the society by staying behind the fact check.

“If someone complains against them, action will be taken according to the law,” he said. -IANS