Facebook Privacy Notices

About

Facebook Privacy Notices are hoaxical status updates with false instructions on how to protect one's personal information, media and other user-submitted content hosted on Facebook from being appropriated by the company without user consent.

Origin

In December 2009, Facebook users began posting satirical status updates containing instructions on how to change various Facebook settings in response to new privacy policy changes^[1] that allowed third party clients to access content and user information on the social networking service (shown below).

Spread

2012 Copyright Hoax

In mid-2012, Facebook users began posting status updates with notices declaring their copyright ownership of all content posted to the social networking site:

"Facebook is now a publicly traded entity. Unless you state otherwise, anyone can infringe on your right to privacy once you post to this site. It is recommended that you and other members post a similar notice as this, or you may copy and paste this version. If you do not post such a statement once, then you are indirectly a……llowing public use of items such as your photos and the information contained in your status updates.

PRIVACY NOTICE: Warning – any person and/or institution and/or Agent and/or Agency of any governmental structure including but not limited to the United States Federal Government also using or monitoring/using this website or any of its associated websites, you do NOT have my permission to utilize any of my profile information nor any of the content contained herein including, but not limited to my photos, and/or the comments made about my photos or any other "picture" art posted on my profile.

You are hereby notified that you are strictly prohibited from disclosing, copying, distributing, disseminating, or taking any other action against me with regard to this profile and the contents herein. The foregoing prohibitions also apply to your employee , agent , student or any personnel under your direction or control.

The contents of this profile are private and legally privileged and confidential information, and the violation of my personal privacy is punishable by law. UCC 1-103 1-308 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED WITHOUT PREJUDICE. (M)

On June 5th, the computer security news blog Naked Security^[2] published an article about the Facebook posts, informing readers that the status updates did not alter Facebook's Terms of Services or privacy policies. In November, Facebook^[3] published a statement about the "Copyright Meme Spreading on Facebook," announcing that users own all the "content and information" posted on the site.

"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."

2014 Copyright Hoax

On November 27th, 2014, Facebook^[6] announced changes to their privacy policy that would go into effect on January 1st, 2015. That day, Facebook users began posting a new chain letter status update declaring their "rights" to all personal data and content submitted to the site (shown below).

Over the next month, several news sites published articles about the new copyright hoax, including Slate,^[7] Tech Times,^[8] CBC News,^[9] BBC News,^[10] USA Today^[11] and The Washington Post.^[12]

Search Interest

External References