When I logged in to Facebook earlier today, I saw that another hoax is making the rounds on the popular social network. I came across this hoax because a few of my friends have been posting it. I’m talking about the Facebook $5.99 Subscription Hoax which says that if you want to keep your posts private, all you need to do is pay a fee of $5.99, and all your posts and status updates will we be automatically set to “private“.
Is this really a hoax? Of course, it is. Facebook wouldn’t want to alienate users and it wouldn’t be in their best interest to charge a subscription fee. Their business strategy is to keep the platform free but make money from advertising. Btw, this hoax first came out in 2013 but has recently made a comeback. Below is the official statement from Facebook regarding this hoax.
While there may be water on Mars, don’t believe everything you read on the internet today. Facebook is free and it always will be. And the thing about copying and pasting a legal notice is just a hoax. Stay safe out there Earthlings!
In case you haven’t seen the Facebook $5.99 Subscription Hoax on your wall, here’s how it looks like:
Now it’s official! It has been published in the media. Facebook has just released the entry price: $5.99 to keep the subscription of your status to be set to “private”. If you paste this message on your page, it will be offered free (paste not share) if not tomorrow, all your posts can become public. Even the messages that have been deleted or the photos not allowed. After all, it does not cost anything for a simple copy and paste.
Better safe than sorry is right. Channel 13 News was just talking about this change in Facebook’s privacy policy. Better safe than sorry. As of September 26th, 2015 at 01:16 a.m. Eastern standard time, I do not give Facebook or any entities associated with Facebook permission to use my pictures, information, or posts, both past and future.
By this statement, I give notice to Facebook it is strictly forbidden to disclose, copy, distribute, or take any other action against me based on this profile and/or its contents. The content of this profile is private and confidential information. The violation of privacy can be punished by law (UCC 1-308- 1 1 308-103 and the Rome Statute). NOTE: Facebook is now a public entity. All members must post a note like this. If you prefer, you can copy and paste this version. If you do not publish a statement at least once it will be tactically allowing the use of your photos, as well as the information contained in the profile status updates. DO NOT SHARE. You MUST copy and paste
So if that is a hoax, what is the right way to keep your Facebook posts and status updates private? Check out the short tutorial below.
How To Keep Facebook Posts and Status Updates Private
- Login to your Facebook account.
- On the upper right corner, click on the small downward arrow/triangle, then click Settings.
- On the left side, click on Privacy.
- On Privacy Settings and Tools, click on the Edit link for each section and customize it according to your preference. Example: “Who can see your future posts? – Friends.
- If you think you have old Facebook posts that you might have shared with more than your Friends, click on “Limit the audience for posts you’ve shared with friends of friends or Public?” then click on “Limit Old Posts“.
That’s it. Now you have configured your Facebook posts and status updates according to your own privacy preferences. If you want to change any of the settings, just follow the same steps, and repeat the process.
To avoid being fooled or tricked by another hoax, please keep in mind that Facebook will never, ever charge it’s users a subscription fee to use the social network. Facebook will never ask users to disseminate information through copy & paste it on their walls. If Facebook has something important to share with its users, it usually prepares a special page or pop-up notification. Another important thing to remember, copy & paste the information on your wall will never change any of your settings or protect your account.
Anyone else saw this Facebook $5.99 Subscription Hoax? Did you think it was true or you knew outright that it was a hoax? Please share your thoughts by leaving a comment below.
