Stop sharing that Instagram hoax: Celebrities fuel viral post that claims Instagram is changing its rules to let the site ‘use your photos’ – as firm insists ‘there is no truth to this post’
- Celebrities including P!ink, T.I. and Rob Lowe shared hoax to millions of followers
- Others such as US Energy Secretary Rick Perry shared and later deleted the post
- Head of Instagram Adam Mosseri said online that the claim simply ‘is not true’
- In statement to Dailymail.com, a spokesperson said ‘There’s no truth to this post’
You’ve likely seen several versions of it before – the lengthy block of text urging social media users to assert that a site does not have permission to use their content in the wake of policy changes.
The latest example, which began circulating on Tuesday, claims ‘everything you’ve ever posted’ to Instagram ‘becomes public from today’ and can be used against you.
That is, unless you share the statement denying Instagram any permission to your posts.
Despite its obvious falsehood, many Instagram users have been falling for the viral copy-and-paste hoax this week – especially celebrities.
Celebrities including P!ink, T.I., and Rob Lowe shared the hoax to their collective millions of followers on Tuesday night and, as of Wednesday morning, still hadn’t taken it down despite Instagram insisting it carries no truth
The screenshot-text post has been shared countless times since Tuesday evening, made worse by verified Instagrammers with massive followings.
Celebrities including P!ink, T.I., and Rob Lowe shared the hoax to their collective millions of followers on Tuesday night and, as of Wednesday morning, still hadn’t taken it down.
Even US Secretary of Energy Rick Perry – who oversees the country’s energy supply and nuclear safety – fell for the modern day chain letter before later deleting it.
Several others, including Zoe Saldana, Eva Longoria, and Adriana Lima, also posted and deleted it.
As the hoax continues to spread, Instagram has been unwavering in its response.
‘If you’re seeing a meme claiming Instagram is changing its rules tomorrow, it’s not true,’ Instagram boss Adam Mosseri tweeted Tuesday night.
On Twitter, head of Instagram Adam Mosseri insisted the claims made in the viral post are not true. But, it continues to circulate
Despite its obvious falsehood, many Instagram users have been falling for the viral copy-and-paste hoax this week – especially celebrities. Taraji P. Henson was one of many who shared it
The Facebook-owned site doubled down in a statement to Dailymail.com on Wednesday.
‘There’s no truth to this post,’ Stephanie Otway, a Facebook company spokesperson, told Dailymail.com.
Even US Secretary of Energy Rick Perry – who oversees the country’s energy supply and nuclear safety – fell for it
Some users who caught on to the trick have taken the opportunity to mock those that fell for it.
Comedian Trevor Noah, for example, tweeted his own version of the statement in which he called Instagram a ‘bad boy.’
‘Ok now we are safe my friends,’ Noah’s post continued.
‘The Instagram demon is dead!’
In the comments, head of Instagram Adam Mosseri once again weighed in, writing a confused, ‘Thank you?’ in response to Noah.
Hoaxes of this kind have been making the rounds for years across social media, often using the same wording from previous versions over and over again.
Still, many users continue to share them and even, in some cases, acknowledge that they may have been tricked, re-posting the statement anyway because it’s ‘better to be safe than sorry.’
The screenshot-text post has been shared countless times since Tuesday evening, made worse by verified Instagrammers with massive followings. T.I. was among the celebrities who shared the hoax
