Fact check: Is Facebook about to start charging users? Should you opt-out?

"I do not give permission for Facebook to charge $4.99 a month to my account, also, all of my pictures are property of myself and not Facebook!"

You may recently have seen your friends and family sharing this message on Facebook, or one like it. In fact, you may have seen a lot of them over the years. Versions of this hoax have been around since at least 2009, according to debunker site Snopes.com, and they seem to resurface every few months. The Times-Union even wrote about it back in 2016.

But the message is everywhere, and it even says the new fees, which apparently will start on an undefined Monday, were reported on Channel 13! Or maybe Channel 4! So it must be real!

And with new updates seemingly every week on changes to fees, policies or membership options for X, formerly known as Twitter, are membership fees for the world's largest social media platform and one that has been repeatedly slammed for violating user privacy and encouraging a toxic atmosphere really that unlikely? Isn't it worth it to drop a quick note if it means you avoid subscription fees?

Is Facebook going to charge users?

According to Facebook: "No, we don’t charge you to use Facebook."

There has never been a charge to use Facebook and the company has indicated it never plans to. Since the parent company Meta makes its money from advertising to Facebook's 3 billion monthly users, scaring them off seems counterproductive.

What does the Facebook hoax say?

That depends on which version you get. But all the hoaxes spread around share some common ground:

• They say Facebook is going to start charging its users.

• The price may be anywhere from $3.99 to $9.99. Occasionally they'll include a rundown of different premium levels.

• They may also bring in the other classic Facebook hoax that Facebook can use your photos for commercial purposes if you don't opt-out.

• The new charges will begin this summer, or next Monday, or some vague but always undated time.

• The charges are real because they've been reported on television, often Channel 13 or Channel 4 (but never with specific news channel call letters or links).

• You can opt-out by copying and pasting the message (not sharing) and posting it to your feed. They may include specific legalish language to use, or cite copyright laws.

• They often have poor grammar, spelling and punctuation.

Posts about it also have shown up on TikTok and X, the social media platform that used to be Twitter.

Does Facebook charge to verify users?

That's a different question, and the answer is "maybe." But it's entirely optional.

For years Facebook has offered blue-badge verifications for celebrities, politicians, journalists and other noted public figures that unscrupulous people might try to pretend to be to cause confusion or damage their reputations. In February, Meta announced they were introducing Meta Verified, a subscription service to "help you establish your presence on Instagram and Facebook" by verifying your account against your government ID.

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The service, $11.99 per month if you subscribe from a computer and $14.99 if you subscribe in the app, was rolled out to Australia and New Zealand with plans to take it global. If you are already verified on Facebook or Instagram, nothing changes.

But again, this is an optional fee and is not what the hoax is supposedly warning you about.

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Did Channel 13 report that Facebook will start charging its users or using their photos?

No, and multiple actual Channel 13 (and Channel 6) news sites are a little tired of it.

Can I opt out of Facebook policies by posting a message to my page?

No.

Simply stating on a social media site that you do not wish to comply with its policies holds no legal weight whatsoever, and social media sites are not scanning your posts to see if you opted out or not.

When you sign up for a social media site, you agree to its terms and conditions, and you may have some control in your settings about what may be shared with other people or companies. But that social media company can change its terms and conditions at any time (although it must announce changes). Just ask anybody on X/Twitter. If you disagree with those changes, your options are to accept them, or to stop using the social media platform.

Are the Facebook hoaxes dangerous?

Simply copying and pasting a text message to your page does nothing but waste your time and make your friends shake their heads.

But if the message includes a link, avoid it. Some of the hoax outbreaks have included "more information" links to pages that can hijack your computer or add malicious software or objectionable images to it. Some may direct you to Facebook groups for people reported fighting Facebook over the new changes and dangerous links are posted there.

Will Facebook ever charge users?

Times change, business models change, so we can never be sure. Meta CEO and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg told a congressional panel in 2018, “Yes, there will always be a version of Facebook that is free,” which seems conclusive but doesn't rule out future paid levels for additional functionality or convenience.

But if and when that happens, it will be announced from an official Facebook page, and it will be reported by media you've heard of.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Facebook fact check: Opt-out-of-charging hoax rises again