YouTube, the popular video-sharing platform, has come under fire for deleting the channel of String Vinodh, a content creator who exposed various propaganda and misinformation campaigns by some groups and individuals against India(Bharat) and Hinduism.
The channel was removed without any prior warning or strike, citing “severe or repeated violations of community guidelines” as the reason. However, YouTube did not specify which videos or content violated the guidelines. String Vinodh accused YouTube of censorship and bias, and demanded to restore his channel. He also said that YouTube is not the only platform where he can exercise his free speech.
String Vinodh’s channel had over 5 lakh subscribers and more than 10 crore views. He had made videos on topics such as the toolkit gang, the vaccine war, the farmers’ protest, the Khalistan movement, the anti-CAA riots, the Kashmir issue, the China threat, and other issues affecting India’s national security and sovereignty. He had also exposed the role of some media outlets, NGOs, celebrities, politicians, and foreign agents in spreading anti-India narratives and creating unrest in the country.
Many netizens expressed their support for String Vinodh and his channel, and criticized YouTube for its action. They used hashtags like #BringBackStringChannel and #ShameOnYouTube to voice their opinions on social media. Some also suggested alternative platforms for String Vinodh to continue his work, such as Rumble, BitChute, Odysee, etc.
On the other hand, YouTube has not taken any action against Dhruv Rathee, another content creator who has been repeatedly caught spreading fake news and distorted facts on his channel. Dhruv Rathee has over 9 million subscribers and more than 100 crore views on his channel. He claims to be an independent journalist and a fact-checker, but he has been accused of peddling propaganda and misinformation in favour of certain political parties and ideologies.
Some of the examples of fake news and misinformation spread by Dhruv Rathee are:
- He tweeted that the Modi government sold 170,000 hectares of dense forest land in Chhattisgarh to Adani group, which was later debunked by the Chhattisgarh government itself.
- He made a video on how to identify fake news in India, but he used a distorted map of India that showed parts of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh outside the Indian territory.
- He made a video on why Imran Khan lost power in Pakistan, but he used false and misleading data to support his arguments.
The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting has directed YouTube to block 45 videos from 10 channels for spreading fake news and morphed videos with the intent to spread hatred among religious communities. The blocked videos had a cumulative viewership of over 1 crore 30 lakh views. One of the videos blocked by the ministry was of Dhruv Rathee, which used a wrong depiction of the Indian boundary in J&K. However, YouTube has not yet deleted the video of Rathee or his channel.
The deletion of String Vinodh’s channel and the sparing of Dhruv Rathee’s channel by YouTube has raised questions about the transparency and accountability of the platform. Many people have accused YouTube of having double standards and favouring certain narratives over others. They have also demanded that YouTube should restore String Vinodh’s channel and take action against Dhruv Rathee’s channel for spreading fake news.