An old Facebook hoax is doing the rounds again, causing users of the social network to panic that all their individual photos volition exist made public overnight.

Messages about protecting your copyright or privacy rights on Facebook by posting a particular legal notice to your Timeline have been periodically circulating for many years.

The text of the messages varies, but is something forth the lines of this:

"Don't forget tomorrow starts the new Facebook rule where they tin can utilise your photos. Don't forget Deadline today!!! It tin can be used in courtroom cases in litigation against you. Everything y'all've always posted becomes public from today Even messages that have been deleted or the photos not allowed. It costs cypher for a simple re-create and paste, ameliorate safety than sorry. Aqueduct 13 News talked about the alter in Facebook'due south privacy policy. I practise not give Facebook or whatever entities associated with Facebook permission to use my pictures, information, messages or posts, both past and hereafter. With this argument, I give discover to Facebook it is strictly forbidden to disclose, copy, distribute, or take any other action confronting me based on this contour and/or its contents. The content of this contour is private and confidential data. The violation of privacy tin can be punished past police force (UCC 1-308- 1 1 308-103 and the Rome Statute). NOTE: Facebook is at present a public entity. All members must post a note like this. If you prefer, y'all tin can re-create and paste this version. If you lot do not publish a statement at least in one case it will be tacitly assuasive the use of your photos, also as the information contained in the profile status updates. FACEBOOK DOES Not HAVE MY PERMISSION TO SHARE PHOTOS OR Messages."

At the gamble of stating the obvious - it's not true.

While Facebook does take the right to distribute and share whatsoever of your content, it doesn't own the copyright.

And fifty-fifty if you wanted to accept that power away from Facebook, you can't do information technology by but writing it on your wall. You lot'd need to actively disagree with Facebook's Terms and Conditions which means, basically, not using the service.

Facebook hasn't responded to this latest hoax simply information technology has clarified in the past that it tin share and distribute something y'all post.

"You own the content that you create and share on Facebook and the other Facebook Products you use," Facebook'due south Terms of Service country.

"To provide our services, still, we need you to give the states some legal permissions to employ this content.

"Specifically, when y'all share, mail service or upload content that is covered by intellectual property rights (eastward.1000. photos or videos) ... you grant us a not-exclusive, transferable, sub-licensable, royalty-free and worldwide licence to host, use, distribute, alter, run, copy, publicly perform or display, translate and create derivative works of your content.

"This means, for case, that if you share a photograph on Facebook, you give us permission to store, re-create and share it with others."

Facebook offers each user the options to tailor their level of privacy, and these can be found in your profile options. You tin can also finish the licence at any time by deleting your content or account.

Only if you do see a bulletin like the one to a higher place appear on your News Feed, exercise your friends a favour and don't repost information technology.