Fact Check

Facebook 'No Religion' Campaign

Rumor: Facebook will be banning all posts expressing religious beliefs.

Published March 7, 2014

Claim:

Claim:   As of 20 March 2014, Facebook will be banning all posts expressing religious beliefs.


FALSE


Examples:   [Collected via Facebook, March 2014]


Has Facebook launched a 'No Religion Campaign'?



 

Origins:   This message purportedly issued by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg claims that beginning on 20 March 2014 Facebook will be launching a "No Religion" campaign prohibiting the "spreading [of] religious beliefs" on that social network, with those who violate the new policy

having their accounts deleted — all at the behest of advertisers and groups seeking a "more logical" and "adult" social network.

The message is just a hoax, yet another entry in a series of similar japes proclaiming that Facebook is launching a "no swearing" campaign or a "no marijuana" campaign. Facebook has made no announcement about banning the spreading of material related to religion and religious beliefs, and the bottom line is that Facebook doesn't issue important announcements about any policy change through the medium of having their CEO post images on the Internet with poorly-checked spelling, punctuation, and grammar: they notify users via e-mail, and they post information about their policy changes in the appropriate administrative section of Facebook.com.

Last updated:   31 July 2015

David Mikkelson founded the site now known as snopes.com back in 1994.