No, You Don’t Need to Post a Facebook Copyright Status

In recent days, you might have seen Facebook statuses imploring you to post legalish language that purports to shield your photographs and other information from copyright violations.

Don’t bother. It doesn’t work, and similar versions of the hoax have been repeated for years.

Facebook users are reporting a recent surge in the posts, just as they did in January. Though the exact text is likely to differ, the false statuses often look similar to this:

The notices tend to have in common official-sounding jargon and legal references that users are unlikely to verify, followed by a demand that others post the same status on their own accounts. The claims have been thoroughly debunked, notably by Snopes, a myth-busting site.

In short: Your legal rights are determined not by any status you post, but by the social network’s Terms of Service, which all users agreed to upon creating an account. Information about how Facebook uses your information is available there and in the network’s data policy.

If you are concerned about privacy, you can adjust your settings by tapping on “More” and “Privacy Shortcuts” in the mobile apps, or, on a desktop, clicking on the lock near the far right of the blue bar at the top of the screen.