Quick Fact Check: Fake post claiming Facebook is using your posts in lawsuits against it amid COVID-19 pandemic resurfaces

New Delhi (Vishvas News): A fake post has resurfaced on social media. It is being claimed that amid the coronavirus pandemic, Facebook has changed its privacy rules. It further claims that the social media platform is allowing it to use posts shared by users in lawsuits against them. Vishvas News had earlier investigated the post and found it to be fake.

Claim

The post has resurfaced on social media and has been shared by a user named Tammy Mccoy on Facebook. It reads: ““In the confusion around Covid 19, and just in case this is true. Don’t forget that tomorrow starts the new Facebook rule that our photos can be used. Remember the deadline is today. They can be used in lawsuits against us. Everything we posted today goes public, even messages deleted. It takes nothing to make a simple copy and paste: better safe than sorry. “I don’t allow Facebook or any Facebook training to use my photos, information, messages or posts, either from the past or in the future”. With this statement, I give a notification to Facebook that it is strictly forbidden to reveal, copy, distribute or take other actions against me based on this profile and / or its contents. The content of this profile is private and confidential information. The violation of my personal life can be punished by law. Note: “Facebook” is now a public entity. All members should post a note like this. If you prefer, you can copy and place this version. If you don’t post the statement at least once, you will silently allow your photos to be used and the information contained in profile status updates. Not ” share “, but ” copy +paste “ Their new algorithm chooses the same people-around 25-who will read your posts. For this reason: Keep your finger down everywhere in this post and it will pop up copy. Click Copy, then go to your page, start a new post and put your finger anywhere in the empty field. Paste will come out and click on it. This will bypass the system. I don’t allow Facebook to share anything of mine that I put on their website. Photos, current or past, posts, phone numbers or emails… absolutely nothing can be used in any form without my written permission or verbal content.” The complete post can be read in its archived version here.

Investigation

When Vishvas News earlier investigated, we found that as per Facebook’s ‘Terms and Conditions‘ of Facebook, the user owns the intellectual property rights of the posts they share on Facebook. The complete details can be read here.  It further reads that the users are free to share their content with anyone else, wherever they want.

The ‘Help Community‘ page of Facebook states that the viral post is scam and users should report this post whenever they see it. This is in response to a user’s query.

The complete fact check can be seen here.

The spokesperson of Facebook responded to Vishvas News over mail and quoted: “Facebook takes privacy seriously and we have a range of controls built into our product that enable people to determine who sees the content they share on Facebook. We would never arbitrarily make private posts and photographs public without express consent.”

Facebook user Mehmet Yıldırım shared the post. We scanned the profile of the user and found that the user is based out of Turkey.

Disclaimer: The #CoronavirusFacts database records fact-checks published since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak. The pandemic and its consequences are constantly evolving and data that was accurate weeks or even days ago might have changed. Remember to check the date when the fact-check you are reading was published before sharing it.

Conclusion: The post claiming amid coronavirus pandemic, Facebook has changed its privacy rules, allowing it to use pictures and posts shared by users in lawsuits against them is fake. The post has resurfaced on social media.

Tags

• Coronavirus
• CoronaVirusFacts
• COVID19
• Facebook
• fake news