In 2012, some terribly unfunny person started a hoax about how you have to post a status declaring legal ownership of your Facebook content in order to keep it safe from the Facebook bogeymen. It starts off like this …
In response to the new Facebook guidelines I hereby declare that my copyright is attached to all of my personal details, illustrations, comics, paintings, crafts, 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! …
And goes on for meaningless paragraph after meaningless paragraph. It was useless in 2012 and it’s useless now, as the hoax tends to pop up regularly like an unwanted Tinder match. As Facebook’s Terms of Service clearly stipulate, you automatically own everything posted to Facebook, but give Facebook “a non-exclusive, transferable, sub-licensable, royalty-free, worldwide license to use any IP content that you post on or in connection with Facebook (IP License).” That agreement does not change when you post a Facebook status saying otherwise. So, don’t post it. Don’t copy and paste it. Don’t fall for hoaxes and, if you don’t like Facebook’s Terms of Service then, by all means, get off of Facebook and go outside …
