Facebook data scandal has rocked the online world across the globe. With Facebook co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg profusely apologizing over allegations of selling private information and customer data to a firm called Cambridge Analytica, it has activated the panic mode among FB users. And as we have seen in the past whenever there’s a panic or uncertainty scenario on social media, it gives rise to umpteen crazy fake news. One such hoax related to user’s profile security going crazy viral is the Green BFF comment. Hundreds of thousands of individuals are falling prey to the latest Facebook hoax, which is claiming to check if their Facebook accounts are safe or hacked by typing ‘BFF’ in comments section or status – If it turns green, their profile is secured and in case it does not, the account has been hacked. Sounds crazy right? Well, it is and super false news.

The popular social media platform, Facebook is notorious for dishing out hoaxes, scams and fake news beautifully decorated platter. And sadly, a majority of us fall for it – because applying brains is last of options so why not follow the actions as directed by Facebook. In the latest incident as Zuckerberg and his company is struggling to damage control post shocking data leak revelations, a fake news is circulating to check the user’s account security.

What is the new Facebook hoax? It reads: Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, invented the word BFF, to make sure your account is safe on Facebook. Type BFF in a comment, if it appears green, your account is protected. If it does not appear in green, change your password immediately because it may be hacked by someone.

Yes, it is advising Facebook users to type BFF either as status or in comments sections under any post. Yes, this is the reason why almost every other post is flooded with BFF comments. According to the fake news, after you posted the BFF word and if it turns green in colour, your account has not been hacked and not one of the millions of customers’ data that has been compromised in Facebook- Cambridge Analytica scandal. Well, let us inform you of the final time that there is no truth in this news.

But then what is this green-coloured text? This is actually a built-in feature in Facebook call the Text Delight Animations that highlight few of the words in different colours or as well as provide animations like ‘Dancing Hands.’ It shows two hands swirl up from the bottom of the screen, disappearing in a colourful high-fi. It is activated by typing ‘bff or bffs’. Then you also have ‘Flying Star’, which is activated by typing ‘you’re the best’.

The Facebook Text Delight Animations is mainly because some of the users have updated their Facebook app or Internet browser and that’s why they can see the coloured text or animations, while others still using the old version that doesn’t support Text Delight feature cannot see it. However, it is good to update your account and make it more secure and less prone to hacking.

Meanwhile, Mark Zuckerberg has issued a statement over leaking users’ data to political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica. He admitted it “was a major breach of trust,” and that he was “really sorry that this happened.” “We have a basic responsibility to protect peoples’ data,” Zuckerberg said in an interview on Anderson Cooper 360.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 23, 2018 02:03 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).