Reality of the Facebook Warning Post Requested to Be Re-posted - - Facebook Apps Sending Out "not very nice" Messages

Beware! It's a Cyber World - - Summary:

A widely and rapidly circulating Facebook message warns users that some apps are sending out "not very nice" messages that may appear to come from friends.

Re-posting of this message is just baseless as the message is so vague that it has virtually no worth as a warning; even it is true that there have been some rogue Facebook applications that automatically posted spam or scam messages to a user's Facebook profile. The message does not specify which apps to watch out for nor does it provide any details as to what the "not very nice" messages contain. Thus, re-posting it is pointless. 

Let's have a look to the message contents:

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FACEBOOK FRIENDS!!! SOME APPS ARE SENDING NOT VERY NICE MESSAGES USING YOUR NAME!!! IF YOU DON'T WANT TO GET INTO TROUBLE WITH YOUR FRIENDS, COPY PASTE AND SHARE THE POST!! IF YOU HAVE RECEIVED ANY FROM ME, BE ASSURED I DIDN'T SEND IT

 

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Beware! It's a Cyber World - - Explanation:

This warning, which is currently circulating very rapidly around social networking website Facebook, warns users to watch out for Facebook applications that may send out "not very nice" messages in their name. It advises users to share the warning with others in order to avoid getting into trouble with Facebook friends who may receive the "not very nice" messages. As with many such warnings, the message amateurishly and annoyingly users all capital letters, apparently in a misguided attempt to make the content seem more important.

There certainly have been rogue Facebook applications that send out spam, scam or malware messages that appear to originate from the accounts of the users who installed the apps. Facebook users do need to use due caution when installing applications. Spammers and other criminals have regularly created rogue Facebook applications designed to further their own nefarious activities and this tactic is likely to continue. Moreover, Facebook users should be cautious of following unknown links in messages, even if they appear to come from a friend.

However, while not specifically false, this warning is just too vague to have any real worth or merit. The message does not mention the names of any of the applications that it is supposedly warning about. In fact, it does not provide any information whatsoever about the applications that users are meant to watch out for. Moreover, it does not provide details about the content of the "not very nice" messages. A "not very nice" message could be many things, including a spam or malware attack, a scam attempt, an inappropriate or insulting comment or simply gossip and innuendo.

Thus, this toothless warning does not provide the recipient with any means whatsoever of identifying one of the rogue applications that it discusses. Nor does it help the recipient to identify messages supposedly posted by one of the rogue apps. It is therefore virtually useless as a warning.

In fact, re-posting this ill-conceived warning will achieve nothing other than to clutter Facebook with even more pointless nonsense. And I think many Facebook users would agree that there is already far too much of such nonsense on the network already.