The Latest Facebook Scare Isn’t Real, So Don’t Worry
It seems like every other day on social media I'm seeing someone panic about their accounts. It makes sense, they don't want their personal information stolen, they don't want to be compromised. Having said that, not every scare that you come across is real. That's just the way of the internet. Photoshop is a good thing that is used for nefarious purposes all the time. It's not always meant to be destructive, sometimes it's just supposed to be a joke. Here's the latest scare I saw:
Generally when it comes to these things, all you have to do is Google the first sentence or so. When I did that, every search result on the first page was debunking this. It's generally a good rule of thumb that if you see something that frightens or angers you on Facebook, you should definitely Google it before you post it. If you just post it "to be safe"..... even though you Googled it and you think it probably isn't true, you're spreading misinformation. This kind of stuff is why nobody trusts anything anymore. And while I just saw this this week, it's apparently been around since 2011. It's been around because people keep sharing it! Here's the lowdown from Snopes:
There’s no special programming trick the ill-intentioned have mastered that allows them to seize control of social media accounts, no way for ‘hackers’ to randomly access Facebook accounts and use them to send insulting and/or sexual messages in others’ names. Instead, it comes down to a matter of tricking the unsuspecting into unlocking the door through which invaders gain the access they seek. Those who lose control of their accounts do so through unintentionally installing rogue Facebook applications. Or they fall victim to clickjacking schemes when they click on proffered links misleadingly labeled as innocuous or alluring items (such as “Like” buttons or links to videos that sounds interesting) when in fact they are really quite different critters. Or they fall prey to phishing schemes. The bottom line is that Facebook users have to actively do something (even if they aren’t aware they’re doing it) to open the door and allow hijackers to access their accounts; security-conscious users need not worry that “hackers” will suddenly seize control of their Facebook accounts no matter what precautions they may take.
So, guys, if you get scared, if you get mad... Google it. It might be someone trying to scare you or trying to rile you up for no good reason. If you can't find any good, trustworthy sites that tell you it's true and you see several searches that tell you it's not... it's probably not. Even if you really WANT to believe it, you gotta accept that it's just not true.
Factily yours,
Behka
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