Pete Evans Hits Back At Facebook After He Was Banned For Spreading Misinformation

Pete Evans has hit back against Facebook after his page was banned for spreading misinformation about the coronavirus and the vaccine.

The social media site has been concerned about the celebrity chef's posts over the past few month and made the executive decision to give him the boot.

In response to the ban, the former My Kitchen Rules judge and co-host said on Instagram: "Watching what happens with Section 230 and how the tech companies deal with this in the future will be interesting. As they say 'Let's see what happens'.

"In the meantime...stay healthy, sovereign, strong yet kind and in your heart. If it resonates, you can find some amazing meal plans, recipes and UNCENSORED content."

Section 230 is an American piece of legislation that's part of the Communications Decency Act that 'generally provides immunity for website publishers from third-party content'.

What Evans is suggesting is that Facebook wouldn't be liable for his misinformation and therefore doesn't have a responsibility to take it down.

However, during a pandemic, the social media site has been working hard on cracking down on posts that are deliberately misleading or outright false.

A spokesperson for Facebook said: "We don't allow anyone to share misinformation about COVID-19 that could lead to imminent physical harm or COVID-19 vaccines that have been debunked by public health experts.

Facebook

"We have clear policies against this type of content and we've removed Chef Pete Evans' Facebook Page for repeated violations of these policies."

Despite Facebook owning Instagram, it's reported the chef will be allowed to keep that account because 'the violating posts and content were not always shared on the corresponding Instagram account'.

Evans copped an absolute battering when the Sydney Northern Beaches cluster broke because he urged people not to get tested for the virus.

Reacting to the photos of people standing in long queues for a Covid-19 swab, the Australian celebrity chef mocked them.

He wrote: "OUTBREAK ... 2 cases (with clown-face emojis). Can you see where this is heading again. Testing for the common cold? Do not get tested."

The post has since been deleted, however it's a moot point because now the whole page has been deleted from existence.

Topics: Australia

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie is a Trending Journalist at LADbible. His first job was as a newsreader and journalist at the award winning Sydney radio station, Macquarie Radio. He was solely responsible for the content broadcast on multiple stations across Australia when the MH17, Germanwings and AirAsia disasters unfolded. Stewart has covered the conflict in Syria for LADbible, interviewing a doctor on the front line, and has contributed to the hugely successful UOKM8 campaign.

@stewartperrie