Facebook users wasting time with hoax message

Facebook users wasting time with hoax message

Thousands of Facebook users are posting a lengthy message that allegedly protects their content.

November 26, 2012 7:22 by M. Aldalou

In what can only be explained as an uproar against privacy concerns on the social media platform, thousands of Facebook users have been led to believe that posting the following lengthy message will grant them copyright protection.

You may be one of whom have noticed a serious-sounding message addressed to Facebook on your timeline and have then, re-posted it yourself.

The message implies that any content posted and shared on their pages is henceforth protected by the Berne Convention unless otherwise stated and that a user’s consent is needed if Facebook wishes to use their content. The misconception arose due to the fact that Facebook is now a publicly traded company but what users have misunderstood is that ‘public trade’ in this context refers to shares and stocks rather than user information.

Your only form of protection is the privacy settings that you, yourself are able to control and therefore determine what is revealed as public or private.

Not unlike other Internet hoaxes, this message has been stricken with two viral elements: urgency and believability; both of which has led many users to believe that it forms a legal binding. The reality is that Facebook users are bound by the terms and conditions set by the social media network at the time of user registration and this circular is in fact, a fake or rather, simply moot.

According to Facebook’s guidelines, the implication is that you own all of the content and information you post on Facebook, and you can control how it is shared through your privacy and application settings. That said, Facebook is still allowed to share your data with its clients and advertisers (after withholding your name, of course).

Facebook – having noticed the circular hoax – has responded with a statement on their ‘Facebook & Privacy’ page: There is a rumor circulating that Facebook is making a change related to ownership of users’ information or the content they post to the site. This is false. Anyone who uses Facebook owns and controls the content and information they post, as stated in our terms. They control how that content and information is shared. That is our policy, and it always has been. Click here to learn more - www.facebook.com/policies