"Copypasta" is internet slang for rumors that users spread by copying posts and pasting them on their own accounts, which then get shared over and over. Not only is Facebook home to a lot of such material but often is the subject of those copypasta posts.
Case in point: Over the years, we've fact-checked several claims about how to prevent Facebook from using your posts or pictures. Posting copypasta to your account does not allow you to get around the platform's term of service agreement, for example. You have to accept the agreement before you can even create an account.
Here are some of the fact checks we've written about copypasta on Facebook. We'll update this list if we write more.
In June 2022, a copypasta on Facebook went viral that claimed, "Don’t forget tomorrow starts the new Facebook rule where they can use your photos." We traced this copypasta back to at least 2012. You can't get around parent company Meta's company policies just by posting a statement to your profile. (You can read the full fact-check here.)
For years on Facebook, posts have spread on the platform that claim you can protect your copyright or privacy rights by posting a legal notice. We found claims about it happening in both 2019 and 2021. Despite how often the claim goes around, it isn't true. Facebook isn't claiming copyright to the posts. Any such notice also doesn't cancel or go around Facebook's own legal policies you have to accept when first making your account. (You can read the...
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