As you surely know, scams and hoaxes are ubiquitous on Facebook. It probably seems like you see a new one every time you look at your Newsfeed.
And just like clockwork, there’s a new one making the rounds…
Unlike most Facebook hoaxes, this one actually starts out with a true statement about accounts getting hijacked.
Truth be told, lots of Facebook accounts are indeed getting hijacked, some by scammers and hackers, but most by malicious apps.
It’s what comes next that’s the actual hoax. Take a moment to read the text of this new hoax post and you’ll probably recognize the hoax part right away because it’s been used in numerous prior hoaxes:
“Due to the fact everyone is slowly getting hi-jacked yeah hi-jacked not hacked anymore they’re flat out hi-jacking our accounts, even more now.
Just in case Notice: An attorney advised us to post this. The violation of privacy can be punished by law. NOTE: Facebook Meta is now a public entity. All members must post a note like this. If you do not publish a statement at least once, it will be technically understood that you are allowing the use of your photos, as well as the information contained in your profile status updates.
I HEREBY STATE THAT I DO NOT GIVE MY PERMISSION TO USE ANY OF MY PERSONAL DATA OR PHOTOS.
Copy and paste, do not share.”
This post is full of red flags, but here are the four biggest ones:
1 – The phrase “Just in case” is a dead giveaway that that a post is a hoax. It basically tells the reader “go ahead and [do whatever the post tells you to do] just in case it’s true. Well guess what? It never is.
2 – “An attorney advised us to post this” is another dead giveaway. Any “attorney” who would ever recommend something like this should be disbarred.
3 – The part about the hijacking at the beginning of the hoax post has no logical connection to the suggested remedy.
If a hacker/scammer or malicious app has hijacked your account, the least of your worries at that point is protecting the privacy of your photos. That cat is already out of the bag, and it’ll remain out of the bag until you manage to regain control of your account (which isn’t even mentioned in the post).
4 – The claim that simply posting something on your Timeline will effectively nullify Facebook’s Terms of Service (TOS) is akin to saying “I hereby state that the interest rate on my mortgage is now zero percent” in the local newspaper. Good luck getting the bank to stop charging you interest on your home loan based upon that notice. It’ll never happen.
Facebook’s TOS is Facebook’s TOS, and nothing you can post is your Timeline is going to change it. If you continue using their site/app then you’re bound by their TOS, for better or worse.
What’s more, even if you could alter Facebook’s TOS by posting something on your Timeline, it wouldn’t apply here since the TOS specifically states that you own the copyright to anything and everything you post, not Facebook. Here’s the relevant passage from Facebook’s Terms of Service:
“You retain ownership of the intellectual property rights (things like copyright or trademarks) in any such content that you create and share on Facebook and other Meta Company Products you use. Nothing in these Terms takes away the rights you have to your own content. You are free to share your content with anyone else, wherever you want.”
Bottom line: The hoaxes might seem to be harmless (you’re only copying and pasting something, right?), but they are not.
They waste people’s valuable time and cause needless worry for the people who read them. I believe it’s best to simply ignore them.