Mark Zuckerberg Banning All Flat Earth Groups from Facebook Is A Hoax

Erica Abbott — July 31, 2017

— July 31, 2017 \

 

Mark Zuckerberg Banning All Flat Earth Groups from Facebook Is A Hoax | DeviceDaily.com

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Reports that Mark Zuckerberg announced via Twitter that Facebook would be banning all flat Earth groups are false. Rumors that the hundreds of groups related to the flat Earth theory would be eliminated from the social media platform stemmed from a well-known satire website.

According to Hoax Alert, the fake claim originated on the Nevada County Scooper, an entertainment and satire website. The article claimed that, in a series of tweets, Zuckerberg announced that all Facebook groups related to the flat Earth theory would be archived by Aug. 1. It purported:

In a rare tweet from Mark Zuckerberg, the social media giant Facebook has announced it will be eliminating all groups associated with, or related to spreading, flat earth propaganda from its social media platform. Mr. Zuckerberg cited, “as one of many reasons,” a young man’s suicide which occurred because the young man could no longer “live in a world of lies.”

[…] Prior to Zuckerberg’s ghastly online invention, flat earth believers were relegated to the street corner, taking high-speed nickels to the forehead as they ranted and raved while cautiously drooling away from the change cup. Today, these so-called truthers run myriad Facebook groups with 100,000 members or more in each of them. All of these groups combined have a membership of over 650 billion, and they can influence your grandma.

Mark Zuckerberg has made clear his intentions to change all that mass-stupidity, perhaps saving your grandma and drunk uncle in the process. “After all,” Mark explains via Twitter, “I see you all as my children, and I still have to protect you.”

The report, however, is entirely fabricated. Zuckerberg did not announce anything on his alleged Twitter account, nor did he make any such announcement on his official Facebook page. The Nevada County Scooper clearly states in their disclaimer that they publish satire stories:

The Scooper is a satirical website is in scope and intent. Sometimes it’s funny; often it is not. in scope and intent. It provides social criticism in a satirical, sometimes news-genre setting. We are not a “fake news” site, but rather an entertainment one. Sometimes it’s just plain-old crappy writing with a few bad jokes. Our intention is not to fool or trick anyone, but obviously it happens. We firmly believe that you can soften a person’s willingness to listen by injecting irony, and yes sometimes humor, into the conversation.

As the name suggests, flat-Earthers believe that the Earth is flat and, according to Live Science, “believe photos of the globe are photoshopped” by government agencies such as NASA. A leading theory claims that Earth is actually a disc surrounded by Antarctica. The flat Earth theory has, of course, been debunked numerous times and its believers told that they are flat-out wrong. Astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson slammed flat Earth theorist B.o.B on “The Nightly Show” last year and has tweeted about the flat Earth theory several times.

Here are some examples of people sharing the satirical story on social media:

Social Media Shares Satirical Story about Facebook Banning Flat Earth Groups

Have you seen the satirical story about Facebook banning all flat Earth groups circulating social media? What are your thoughts on the flat Earth theory? Sound off in the comments section below!

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Author: Erica Abbott

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