A hoax warning about copyright on Facebook has gone viral after tens of thousands of people copied and pasted a statement on their timelines asserting full copyright over their posted content.
The post reads: “Facebook is now an open capital entity. All members are recommended to publish a notice like this, or if you prefer, you may copy and paste this version.
“If you do not publish a statement at least once, you will be tacitly allowing the use of elements such as your photos, as well as the information contained in your profile status updates.”
Users were also urged to attach a 50-word statement saying: “In response to the new Facebook guidelines, I hereby declare that my copyright is attached to all of my personal details, illustrations, comics, paintings, professional photos and videos, etc. (as a result of the Berner Convention). For commercial use of the above my written consent is needed at all times!”
However, Facebook says that its users have nothing to worry about, as when they post things like photos, the social networking site does not own them but is granted permission to use, distribute, and share the things users post, subject to the terms and applicable privacy settings.
Facebook’s frequently asked questions section also specifically addresses the point of law, saying that users retain the copyright to their content, although when they upload content, they grant Facebook a licence to use and display that content.
Although the copyright fears appearing to be unfounded, it is worth remembering that Facebook does collect a huge amount of data about its users, such as times, locations and dates of use and when and where photographs have been taken, which has probably given rise to the hoax.
Law enforcement agencies can obtain the data held about an individual on Facebook, by using a court order.