Facebook is warning users about an old privacy hoax that has reared its ugly head once more, spreading rumors that the social network will soon charge for its services and asking people to copy certain notices to their profiles.
The world's biggest social network posted a note of caution to, what else, its official Facebook profile page on Monday.
According to The Guardian U.K., one popular hoax making the rounds in recent weeks falsely claimed that Facebook would begin asking for a fee from all its users.
"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," says one widely-circulated chain message. "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."
By some reports, the message has been circulating — in one form or another — since as far back as 2009.
USA Today reported that another viral hoax sought to prey on people's privacy fears.
"In response to the new Facebook guidelines, I hereby declare that my copyright is attached to all of my personal details, illustrations, comics, paintings, professional photos and videos, etc. (as a result of the Berner Convention). For commercial use of the above my written consent is needed at all times!" says the hoax message.
Truth be told: There is no such thing as the Berner Convention.
"When you post things like photos to Facebook, we do not own them," Facebook spokesman Andrew Noyes said in a statement. "Under our terms, you grant Facebook permission to use, distribute, and share the things you post, subject to the terms and applicable privacy settings."
Don’t bother copying and pasting any text that looks similar to the above, said tech experts, it's no more than a useless hoax.
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