Facebook Privacy Hoaxes Making Their Rounds Again

By Steven Musil

Facebook has always been ripe for privacy hoaxes, and it appears it's harvest time again on the social-networking giant.

Users of the world's largest social network were inundated Monday with messages on their news feeds reposted by friends that warn if they don't act fast, Facebook will be allowed to infringe on their privacy.

The hoaxes play on real concerns consumers have about how their personal information might be used by Internet giants such as Facebook, Google and Netflix, among others, who have in the past been accused of violating their users' privacy.

One of the hoaxes, which resurfaces every couple of years, warns users to post what sounds like a legally binding statement to their feeds that prohibits Facebook from using their photos, content or personal information without users' permission.

The now-familiar message begins like this:

As of September 28th , 2015 at 10:50p.m. Eastern standard 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 it is strictly forbidden to disclose, copy, distribute, or take any other action against me based on this profile and/or its contents.

The hoax promises to exempt those who repost the legal-sounding statement from Facebook's Data Use Policy, a document that governs how Facebook may use its members' data that they agree to when they sign up to use the service. However, of course, once approved, the contract cannot be altered by users.

Read the rest of this article on CNET.com.