Image: © depositphotos.com/EdZbarzhyvetsky
This rapidly circulating post supposedly gives notice to Instagram that “it is strictly forbidden to disclose, copy, distribute, or take any other action against me based on this profile and/or its contents”.
Supposedly, by posting the statement on Instagram, you are legally denying the company permission to use your photos or content.
However, the message is utter nonsense. The supposed “Instagram Privacy Policy” has no legal standing of any kind and posting it will do nothing whatsoever to protect your privacy.
In fact, the post is just an updated version of a long-running Facebook hoax that has circulated in various forms since 2012.The legal references in the post have apparently been added in an attempt to make the false claims seem more plausible.
The UCC reference relates to the Uniform Commercial Code, which covers commercial law. The Rome Statute is the treaty that established the International Criminal Court and relates to international crimes such as genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. Both references in the post are utterly meaningless in this context. They do not relate in any way to protecting your privacy on social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook
If this absurd hoax comes your way, please don’t spread it further by sharing. And, let the person who posted it know that the claims in the message are untrue.
Note that the older Facebook version of the hoax is also currently circulating once again.
A screenshot of the hoax post:
Since you’ve read this far…
…can I ask you for a big favour?To enhance your privacy and security and offer you a better user experience, Hoax-Slayer is now ad-free. To keep the site online, I now rely on voluntary contributions from site visitors along with commissions from a few trusted products and services that I promote via reviews on the site.
If you found the above report useful, please consider supporting Hoax-Slayer by making a donation. Any amount you can give will be greatly appreciated.
You can donate using your credit card via the form below. Donations are collected securely via the online payment service Stripe. Stripe uses state of the art security to keep your data safe.
Thank-you.
Brett Christensen
