A Years-Old Instagram Hoax Is Back — And It's Tricking Celebrities and Politicians

"If you’re seeing a meme claiming Instagram is changing its rules tomorrow, it’s not true," Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, wrote on Twitter

A years-old hoax is making the rounds on Instagram again, claiming the social media company is about to change its rules in order to access users' photos, NBC News reports

Users of the Facebook-owned social network, including celebrities and politicians, have fallen victim to the hoax, which says that images uploaded to Instagram "can be used in court cases in litigation against you."

"Everything you've ever posted becomes public from today," the hoax message says, "even messages that have been deleted or the photos not allowed."

The message ends, "Instagram DOES NOT HAVE MY PERMISSION TO SHARE PHOTOS OR MESSAGES."

Those sharing the fake message included Secretary of Energy Rick Perry, the actors Julianne Moore, Julia Roberts and Rob Lowe, rapper Waka Flocka Flame and singer Usher. By Wednesday morning, many of those who had posted the hoax had deleted the image.

Officials at Instagram have publicly stated that the message is fake, that it has not updated its rules and that it will not use the images in court.

"If you’re seeing a meme claiming Instagram is changing its rules tomorrow, it’s not true," Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, wrote on Twitter.

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