A popular hoax has been making the rounds again on Facebook for about the hundredth time. This isn’t the first time (or probably the last) that this hoax dealing with the copyright of your Facebook information has been in the news. It has been filling up the news feed of people that haven’t learned yet to never believe everything you read on the internet.
The current hoax is slightly different than previous ones about the same thing. This one says that Facebook is going to charge you to keep your account private. By pasting a simple message that states your copyright to your stuff on Facebook, you’ll protect yourself, and you’ll be able to keep the stuff that is yours private. If you don’t, Facebook will make all your posts public, even photos and posts that were deleted. The message has been posted that says:
Now it’s official! It has been published in the media. Facebook has just released the entry price: $5.99 to keep the subscription of your status to be set to “private”. If you paste this message on your page, it will be offered free (paste not share) if not tomorrow, all your posts can become public. Even the messages that have been deleted or the photos not allowed. After all, it does not cost anything for a simple copy and paste.
Like so many things that show up on the internet, this one is false. Facebook has stated again and again for years that it will stay free, and under its terms of service, items that are private are yours. Facebook does have the right to use things posted as “public” however (also in the terms of service). The idea that posting a disclaimer will get a user legal security is also false.
This isn’t the first time this copyright hoax has appeared. In January 2015, it made a similar appearance, though it was worded differently. It made another round in November of 2012, and was even reported a few years before that. Snopes.com, has an excellent explanation of the Facebook privacy hoaxes and what is really real.
This probably won’t be the last time we see this one. Just be on guard we you see something similar before you go posting it all over the place. Do a little research and then educate others. Nothing is more fun than informing someone of something that isn’t true. Facebook hoaxes are nothing new and there are plenty. Do you have one that is your favorite?
