Viral Facebook Post Claiming Users Must Deny Meta Permission to Use Their Photos Is a Hoax

A chain message telling Facebook users to post a declaration to block Meta from using their photos and data is false. No such policy exists, and privacy is managed through official settings.

Image Credit: Brand Hopper

A viral message is spreading across Facebook, urging users to copy and paste a statement on their profile to prevent Meta from using their personal information and photos. The post warns that “new rules” will take effect from tomorrow, supposedly giving Facebook the right to use users’ photos and data unless they publicly declare otherwise. It even claims the deadline is stamped at a specific time and that the news has been broadcast on television. The message insists that failing to repost it will be treated as granting Meta permission and could have legal consequences.

Facebook Post

Fact Check- 

We started our investigation by observing certain points of the claim. The post insists that Facebook or Meta is rolling out “new rules” that start “tomorrow” at a specific time and have even been “broadcast on TV.”  We ran a keyword search on Google to find any relevant or recent announcement by Meta, however, we found that Meta has not made any such announcements, nor have reputable news outlets reported on such changes. The idea of a specific deadline or timestamp is a scare tactic often used in chain messages to make them sound urgent and convincing.

The viral claim also suggests that Meta wants to “use” or “own” your personal photos and information. In reality, Meta’s policies clearly state that you retain ownership of everything you post. However, by uploading content to Facebook or Instagram, you grant Meta a license to use it in line with the platform’s functionality (for example, to display it to your friends, resize images, or back up data on servers). This does not mean Meta can suddenly claim your photos as its own or sell your private data.

The real way to control who sees and interacts with your content is by managing your privacy settings within Facebook. You can decide whether your posts are public, visible only to friends, or restricted to certain people. Reposting a viral message has no impact on these controls. If one is concerned about privacy, adjusting their settings directly in the app is the only effective step.

Additionally, we reached out to a Meta spokesperson who confirmed to Fact Crescendo that no terms of use are changing on this date. For the most recent terms of use, people can go to this website.

Conclusion-

Fact Crescendo found that the claim made by the viral post is False. The viral post claiming that Facebook or Meta will introduce new rules allowing the use of users’ photos and personal information unless they post a declaration on their profile is false. No such policy change exists, and copy-pasting a statement has no legal effect. User content remains owned by the individual, and privacy is controlled through account settings not viral chain messages. This claim is a recurring hoax designed to spread fear and confusion.