Facebook Privacy Notice Hoax Making The Rounds Again For Some Reason
On a day when social media giant Facebook went down for about half an hour, the site came back up and was filled with things that shouldn’t have been there. For some reason, the Facebook Privacy Notice hoax that has users posting warnings in their statuses to supposedly prevent their accounts from being cancelled, is going around again.
This hoax has been around for years and years as PIX 11 points out, and it just keeps on coming back. For weeks, the hoax will keep getting passed around Facebook and then disappear for months, or even a year, before it shows its ugly head once again.
Facebook users will post the following hoax statement, or something similar, in their status update.
“As of (Date/Time). I do NOT give Facebook, or any entities associated with Facebook, permission to use my pictures, information, or posts, both past and future. By this statement I give notice to Facebook that it is strictly forbidden to disclose, copy, distribute, or take any other action against me based on this profile is private and confidential information. The violation of privacy can be punished by law (UCC 1-308-11 308-103 and Rome statute). NOTE: Facebook is now a public entity. All members must post a note like this. If you prefer, you can copy and paste this version. If you do not publish this statement at least once it will be tactically allowing the use of your photos, as well as information contained in the profile status updates. DO NOT SHARE. You MUST copy and paste to make this your status. I will leave a comment so it will be easier to copy and paste!!!”
It seems legitimate, professional and important for a typical Facebook user. Few actually want to have their privacy invaded or lose their Facebook account or for the world to see all of their personal pictures and such sold on the black market.
Well, that won’t happen because this status update does absolutely nothing at all. Facebook has not issued it and they haven’t asked those using their network to share or repost the message or to copy and paste it, either.
By signing up for Facebook, you’re already giving up some rights to whatever you put on there. No, Facebook doesn’t own your pictures and videos but agreeing to their Terms of Service allows the site to use them if they are posted publicly.
Seeing these warnings aren’t going to save you.
CBS News did make a report stating that another hoax is going around at the same time that advises readers to pay money to keep their account active or private. Copying and pasting the status update will supposedly allow Facebook users to bypass the fee and keep all their info and pictures private.
Posting a status update isn’t going to help a user dodge the bullet of a nonexistent fee to keep his or her information private. The Facebook Privacy Notice hoax is something that the website has actually addressed in the past, saying, “This is false.”
Other Facebook scams try to get users to release their personal information for a cash prize or free Walt Disney World trip or something else. Don’t fall for those scams, either.
Copying and pasting the status update for the privacy notice hoax isn’t the worst thing that happened on Facebook on Monday.
Facebook going down on Monday freaked people out and the Internet had no idea what to do for half an hour. The Privacy Notice hoax is not what they should have focused on once Facebook was working again, but at least it didn’t seem to have hurt anyone. Even if the Facebook hoax has no apparent consequences, try to avoid it and let it die out again.
[Photo by Stephan Lam/Getty Images; Facebook]
