Three Facebook hoaxes that just never go away
They may die down for a bit, but then inevitably, they spring back to life with a vengeance, duping a whole new set of users as they circulate.
Some hoaxes have short life spans. Others hang around for quite awhile. And there are a few that are seemingly immortal.
Hoax-Slayer discusses three Facebook hoaxes that keep resurfacing at regular intervals, year in year out.
Posting A ‘Privacy Notice’ on Facebook Will Protect Your Information
Every time Facebook changes its privacy policies in some way, this amazingly stupid hoax gets trundled out yet again. The hoax claims that you can legally protect the information you put on Facebook by posting a ‘privacy notice’ as a status message. The message is pseudo-legalese nonsense that has no legal standing whatsoever. Nevertheless, naïve users continue to post it in the vain hope that it will somehow protect their privacy.
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Completely Pointless and Misleading ‘Facebook Privacy Notice’
Message circulating on Facebook advises users to publish a ‘Privacy Statement’ as a means of stopping the public use of material they post on the network. The latest ‘better safe than sorry’ version mentions Channel 13 News as a source.
‘Facebook Law For Idiots’ Video From CollegeHumor.Com
Recent news about Facebook’s new terms and conditions have caused the absurd ‘Facebook Privacy Notice’ to once again go viral. The crew over at CollegeHumor.com have put together a funny video that exposes the notice for the silly nonsense that it is.
Facebook is Overpopulated:
This absurd hoax claims that Facebook is running out of room and will delete your profile if you do not ‘prove’ that you are an active user by sending the same silly message to your friends. There have been several versions of the hoax over the years. Similar hoaxes have targeted other online entities as well.
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Facebook Deleting Inactive Users Hoax – ‘Facebook Overpopulated’
Messages claim that Facebook is becoming overpopulated and that members who do not send the information to others within two weeks will have their accounts deleted.
Facebook Is About to Start Charging
Another common hoax claims that Facebook is set to start charging people for using the network. Typically, the hoaxes claim that you can avoid the impending fee by posting a particular message or sharing the same ‘alert’ with all of your friends.
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Hoax: Facebook to Start Charging This Summer – Facebook Icon Will Turn Blue ( Or Gold)
Message circulating on Facebook claims that Facebook will soon start charging for access but those who repost the message on their walls will get to keep their free accounts if their Facebook icon turns blue or gold.
