Over the past 10 days, the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) has directed YouTube to block the channels of two Hindi news outlets. The Press Club of India and Press Association express grave concern over these actions, considering them as censorship on media and an attack on the freedom of the press, especially in the lead-up to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
On April 3, Bolta Hindustan, a Hindi channel with over three lakh subscribers, and National Dastak, with 94.2 lakh subscribers, were taken offline by YouTube at the government’s behest. The directives were issued invoking Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000, and Rule 15(2) of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.
Recently, independent journalists Meghnad and Sohit Mishra received notices for demonetization of their YouTube channels for hosting videos related to Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT). These journalists were merely addressing legitimate concerns surrounding the electoral process.
It’s imperative to note that such opaque directives and orders issued without giving the affected parties a chance to defend themselves tantamount to censorship. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, led by Anurag Singh Thakur, owes the public an explanation behind these drastic measures.
It’s crucial to uphold the principles of free speech and press freedom, especially during significant democratic events like elections.
