Facebook Shut Down Rumours Debunked

Facebook has officially confirmed it will not shut down on 15 March, as has been rumoured.

The rumour emerged on Saturday when Weekly World News – a supermarket tabloid published in the United States – reported that the famous social networking site would shut down on 15 March, with all photos, notes, links and videos permanently erased.

Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg (left) was quoted on the website as saying “Facebook has gotten out of control and the stress of managing this company has ruined my life. I need to put an end to all the madness”.

It also claimed that Zuckerberg did not think users would be “upset” by his decision.

“I personally don’t think it’s a big deal,” quoted the site, “and to be honest, I think it’s for the better. Without Facebook, people will have to go outside and make real friends. That’s always a good thing”

Putting an end to the silliness

According to security protection firm Sophos, more than one million users have fallen for the Facebook hoax and passed the bogus message on to their online friends.

They were also advised to take all their personal data off their accounts before Facebook closes its door, as all photos, notes, links and videos would be permanently erased.

However, Facebook Director of Corporate Communications Larry Yu denied the report and asked the media to help the company “put an end to this silliness”.

“We didn’t get the memo about shutting down and there’s lots to do, so we’ll just keep cranking away like always,” he wrote in an email to CNN.

Facebook hoax, an important lesson

Despite acknowledging the hoax, senior technology consultant at Sophos, Graham Cluley, admitted users should have their own backup of their personal data rather than rely on Facebook.

“There’s an important lesson here – don’t believe everything you read on the Internet, and think twice before you pass a story on to your friends”.

According to Sophos, false reports tend to clog up communications and increase the overall level of spam.

Last year, security vendor BitDefender warned that Facebook users are being exposed to malicious posts and threats, despite attempts by the social networking website to improve its security and privacy credentials.