India’s intelligence agencies investigating 17 YouTube India employees for shadow banning nationalist content

Polling for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections concluded on June 1, and with the release of exit polls, this period becomes crucial for political creators and journalists. Many have transitioned to platforms like YouTube, becoming full-time YouTube journalists due to the rise of digital media. However, a recent exposé reveals that numerous YouTubers are experiencing shadow bans and demonetisation, restricting their content from reaching viewers. Notably, those affected have reported a landslide victory for the BJP and a significant defeat for Congress under Rahul Gandhi.

These creators have taken to social media to demand action against what they perceive as partial treatment by YouTube India and relevant ministries, but their appeals have gone unanswered. Prominent voices among them include senior journalist Ajeet Bharti, Editor of The New Indian Rohan Dua, TV journalist Sushant Sinha, Jaipur Dialogues, and YouTube creators AKTK and Ankur Arya, among others.

Highlighting the nexus affecting the free press on YouTube, Rohan Dua wrote on X, “I’m hearing India’s intelligence agencies have been supplied with recorded conversations of 17 @YouTubeIndia employees in India who explicitly wrote & spoke instructions on how to shadow ban any neutral coverage & promote anti-@narendramodi trash. It’s a criminal offence to influence polls & I have been told investigations have begun.”

He added that these employees include five females and twelve males from Mumbai, Kerala, and West Bengal. They are suspected of altering the YouTube algorithm, imposing indiscriminate and arbitrary bans on 93 journalists and 42 channels that reported neutrally on the BJP during this election.

Dua mentioned that his channel is also facing similar shadow bans. Evidence of this is being shared with the Delhi High Court and police, with the help of lawyers, to expose this corruption and deep-rooted criminal nexus under IPC Sections 120B and IT 2021.

If investigated, this could be a clear case of criminal conspiracy under IPC Sections 127A, 120B, and 171B/R bribery charges.

The allegations state that whenever creators mention opposition leaders or anyone from the I.N.D.I Alliance, their videos are flagged for profanity and demonetised. The creators must then raise an issue, prompting a response from the team, which typically takes two to three days. During this time, the news becomes outdated, diminishing the video’s relevance and viewership.

Ajeet Bharti shared in a post, “In the last 45 days, YouTube demonetised 35 videos and re-monetised 32 of them upon appeal. It took them 2-5 days to re-monetise, meaning even if they did it after 12 hours, it resulted in zero revenue for creators. Just imagine—they were wrong 32 out of 35 times during the peak election period.”

In May 2024, he wrote, “This time, maybe roasting Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi didn’t sit well with them. First, they removed the video’s description, then demonetised it, and reviewed it in just three minutes to tell me it violated some policy I might never know. I’m curious how some videos take 5-7 days to turn from yellow to green upon appeal, but when the yellow has to stay yellow, it takes just three minutes! If your habit of demonetising almost every video in the last month wasn’t enough (which eventually got re-monetised once the video lost its reach and earning potential), now @YouTube should create a list of politicians and royalties we must not talk about.”

It is important to note that Union Cabinet Minister Smriti Irani has pointed out how YouTube has been targeting creators who support the BJP. In the ANI podcast, she mentioned Ajeet Bharti’s case, where his videos were demonetised for mentioning Rahul Gandhi or Sonia Gandhi.

Another creator, known as String and identified as Vinod, had his YouTube channel removed under the guise of community guidelines violations. On September 20, 2023, YouTube took stringent measures against the “String” channel, permanently deleting it due to multiple violations. YouTube cited severe or repeated breaches of their Community Guidelines as the primary reason for the channel’s removal.

Vinod has since filed a petition against YouTube and Google in the Andhra Pradesh High Court.