A viral post making its way across social media claiming Instagram is changing its terms of service so users’ photos can be used against them in court is a hoax.
So on behalf of everyone else, stop spreading it, please.
The post, ridden with misspellings, font changes and general nonsense, went viral Tuesday after it was reposted by numerous celebrities and politicians, including U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry, musicians Pink and Usher, actress Zoe Saldana, actor Rob Lowe and movie producer Judd Apatow.
“There’s no truth to this post,” an Instagram spokesperson said.
The post — a modern-day version of a chain letter — appears to be a slightly tweaked version of a similar hoax about Facebook that has gone viral several times over the past decade.
”Don’t forget tomorrow starts the new Instagram rule where they can use your photos,” the post reads. “Everything you’ve ever posted becomes public from today,” adding that users can prevent that by reposting the image, which it claims legally denies Instagram the right to use their posts or pictures.
All of that is, as you might guess, incorrect. Click here if you’d like to read Instagram’s actual terms of service.
Instagram parent Facebook Inc. FB, -1.27% saw shares dip Tuesday, though they’re up 40% year to date, compared to the S&P 500’s SPX, -0.79% 16% gain this year.
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