Instagram users this week are panicking over a post that claims all your photos are going public.
But before you share this message with all your followers (and maybe your Facebook friends, too), you need to know the truth.
The post, which is going viral, says "don't forget tomorrow starts the new Instagram rule where they can use your photos. Everything you've ever posted becomes public from today."
It then says you can stop this from happening by reposting a legal disclaimer, which is included in the memo for you to copy and paste.
Millions of people are doing just that. Celebrities including Energy Secretary Rick Perry, actor Rob Lowe, and musicians Usher and Pink have reposted it, according to Marketwatch.com.
But there's no need to repost the message, because it is a hoax.
Your private Instagram photos are not going public tomorrow, or next week, or whenever.
And forwarding a post will not change a thing, according to the myth busting site Snopes.com.
If this sounds vaguely familiar, it's the same viral hoax that spread on Facebook a couple of years ago, claiming your Facebook photos would go public if you didn't forward a legal disclaimer notice.
Forwarding clogged up millions of inboxes, but didn't do a thing.
You can easily set your accounts to "private," so that only your friends can see them, and if you are worried about people you don't know seeing your Facebook and Instagram photos, perhaps you shouldn't post them.
So stop forwarding these messages, and stop worrying so you don't waste your money.
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