An old hoax has been resurrected after Facebook made a recent announcement about its updated privacy policy. The copyright message claims to protect users’ pictures, information, and posts under UCC 1-308- 1 1 308-103 and the Rome Statute. It’s seems so official; it just must be true, right? Here is an example that I saw on my newsfeed this morning.

Other variations have come through in the past few days with legal-sounding statements, 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, professional photos and videos, etc. (as a result of the Berner Convention)….”

The good news is that Facebook users are becoming more aware of privacy issues, and they seek a way to control their own shared media. The bad news is that this notification has no legal standing at all, you are bound to the terms and conditions that you agreed to when you signed up with Facebook, and you are annoying your friends.

The truth is that YOU own all of the content and information you post on Facebook, and YOU can control how it is shared through your privacy and application settings. If you neglect to look at those settings, you grant Facebook a non-exclusive, transferable, sub-licensable, royalty-free, worldwide license to use any content that you post on or in connection with Facebook.

In tomorrow’s blog, we will share the top 3 areas in Facebook where you need to make sure the privacy is set to your liking.