In July 2026, Facebook posts warned that Meta, the social media platform's owner, planned to adopt a new rule regarding the company's rights to use users' photos and profile content.
According to the posts, a lawyer purportedly recommended that users share a specific message on Facebook to protect their data and CBS News' "60 Minutes" allegedly discussed the change in Meta's rules.
The warning, which appeared many times in Facebook searches, read as follows:
Just in case… Everyone, stay safe. Big day tomorrow. It's official. Signed at 6:00am. It was even on TV. Mine really turned blue. Don't forget that tomorrow marks the start of the new Facebook rule (also known as Meta), which allows them to use your photos. Don't forget the deadline is today!!!
According to the show 60 Minutes:
Just in case you missed it: a lawyer advised us to post this. The violation of privacy can be punished by law. NOTE: Facebook Meta is now a public entity. Every member must post a note like this. If you do not publish a statement at least once, it will be technically understood that you are allowing the use of your photos, as well as the information contained in your profile status updates.
I HEREBY DECLARE THAT I DO NOT GIVE MY PERMISSION FOR FACEBOOK OR META TO USE ANY OF MY PERSONAL DATA.
Hold your finger anywhere in this message and "copy" will appear. Click "copy. Then go to your page, create a new post, and place your finger anywhere in the empty field. "Paste" will appear, and click paste.
#tobesure
#tobesafe
In short, none of this was true. Meta did not institute a "new Facebook rule," nor did "60 Minutes" post about the matter on social media.
One of the oldest and most persistent rumors in internet history is the Facebook post asking users to copy and paste text to establish legal authority. Users who copy and paste a block of text onto their profile page will not change anything about the fact that they already agreed to the company's terms of service and privacy policy when they signed up for an account.
In 2019, Meta said of such rumors, "Copy-and-paste memes — those blocks of text posted on message boards, forwarded in emails and shared via social media — are as old as the internet."
We previously reported on this same rumor numerous times, including at least two variations of the same text, as well as many past versions. We label such posts as copypasta, meaning copied-and-pasted social media messages.
For further reading, we previously investigated another rumor that Meta, in January 2025, removed a guideline from its hateful-conduct policies that previously prohibited users from comparing women to "household objects."