No place for Khalistan in India: Modi govt blocks 10,500 URLs linked to pro-Khalistani referendum

Tightening its grip in opposition to the pro-Khalistani referendum, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Indian authorities has blocked round 10,500 URLs on social media which have been linked to it within the final three years.

These Uniform Useful resource Locators, or URLs, linked to pro-Khalistani referendum have been blocked by India below Part 69A of the Info Know-how Act. In keeping with a report by The Indian Categorical, the newest knowledge was lately mentioned by the Ministry of Electronics and Info Know-how (MeitY) with the highest officers of the Ministry of Dwelling Affairs.

Apps spreading Khalistan referendum blocked

“Many cellular apps launched for spreading the Khalistan referendum have been blocked by the division involved,” the IE report quoted an unnamed supply as saying.

The Khalistan referendum is a voting train that’s typically organised in a number of western international locations by the US-based Sikhs for Justice headed by Gurpatwant Singh Pannun to carve out a Sikh nation from India.

The Part 69 of the IT Act allows the federal government to difficulty orders of blocking content material to on-line intermediaries together with Web Service Suppliers (ISPs), telecom service suppliers, website hosting providers, engines like google, on-line marketplaces. It, nonetheless, requires the data or content material being blocked to be deemed a risk to India’s nationwide safety, sovereignty, or public order.

Over 28,000 URLs of Fb, X blocked in 3 years

As per the report, the Centre, within the final three years, has locked 28,079 URLs, most of them from Fb (10,976) after they have been discovered to be a part of fraud schemes.

Additionally, 10,139 URLs from X (previously referred to as Twitter) have been blocked by the Indian authorities.

Other than these, 2,211 YouTube accounts, 2,198 Instagram handles, 225 Telegram and 138 WhatsApp accounts have been additionally blocked by the federal government throughout this era.

An officer within the safety institution, quoted within the report, stated that in 2022, a complete of 6,775 social media accounts have been blocked, and the 12 months 2023 noticed 12,483 accounts being blocked. This 12 months (2024) has up to now seen 8,821 accounts blocked by the Centre.

A complete of three,417 accounts have been blocked on X in 2022.

In 2023, there have been 3,772 accounts on X which have been blocked, and until September 30, 2024 as many as 2,950 of the social media platform have been blocked.

As for YouTube, 809 accounts have been blocked in 2022, as many as 862 in 2023 and 540 this 12 months.

On Instagram, 355 accounts have been blocked in 2022 and 814 in 2023. This 12 months, 1,029 accounts have been blocked up to now.

On WhatsApp, 66 accounts have been blocked in 2022, as many as 16 in 2023 and 56 up to now this 12 months.

For Fb, 1,743 accounts have been blocked in 2022, whereas 6,074 confronted the identical destiny in 2023 and three,159, up to now, this 12 months.

Why have been Fb URLs blocked?

The IE report quoted an officer as saying that the probe discovered that a lot of the blocked Fb URLs have been used to take customers to 3rd celebration web sites or app shops from the place they have been both directed to obtain android bundle package, or WhatsApp teams to fraud them by way of buying and selling, funding or work at home kind frauds.

Who prompt blocking of URLs?

The officer additional stated that the URLs have been blocked primarily based on the suggestions of the Ministry of Dwelling Affairs, “which had acquired inputs or proof from central intelligence companies that among the websites and apps allegedly contained “materials prejudicial to the sovereignty and integrity of India.”

Of the whole URLs blocked below Part 69 (A) of the IT Act between 2022-2024, almost 2,100 have been associated to the PFI (Fashionable Entrance of India), the supply quoted within the IE report stated, who even highlighted that a number of radicalisation posts/accounts associated to LTTE, J&Okay militants, Waris Punjab De (WPD) have been additionally blocked by the federal government.