Getty
A viral meme on Instagram made its rounds Tuesday claiming the social media platform was changing its privacy policy to start using account holder's old messages and private photos against them in court cases. Several celebrities, including Julia Roberts, Usher, Pink, Taraji P. Henson, and former Texas Governor Rick Perry, were duped into reposting the fake meme.
Adam Mosseri, chief of Instagram, clarified the falsity of the meme in his stories on the platform saying, "Heads up! If you're seeing a meme claiming Instagram is changing its rules tomorrow, it's not true."
The meme claimed users had to post the text to their profiles to "give notice to Instagram [that] it is strictly forbidden to disclose, copy, distribute, or take any other action" against anyone who reposted it.
"The Daily Show" host Trevor Noah poked fun at the hoax with a similarly formatted photo as the original hoax saying in part, "Instagram you are a bad boy, don't use my message for your badness ok! I don't allow you for this." His caption read, "Be safe my friends. The new Instagram law is coming now!"
Despite being originally duped for the fake post, former Texas Governor Rick Perry shared a similar post on Twitter Wednesday morning teasing the viral scam saying in part, "I give Instagram the express right to publish, distribute and/or sell any or all of my digital content posted to the account @governorperry as they see fit, including but not limited to: Pictures of dachshunds, George Strait Lyrics... Backstage selfies with Vanilla Ice... The real truth behind Area 51... Proof my wife is better looking than yours... This post I made on my phone shall stand as a legally binding document in perpetuity throughout the universe."
John Mayer also poked fun at the hoax saying Instagram has permission to distribute and/or sell any or all his digital content, including his "world-famous meatloaf recipes" and "photographs of sinks."
An Instagram spokesperson told me "there is no truth" to the viral meme.
Hoaxes like this aren't new to Instagram or its parent company, Facebook. In 2012, Facebook addressed a similar privacy policy notice scam that required users to reshare the post to avoid the changes. Other privacy policy hoaxes have been dated back to 2009, according to Snopes.
