Facebook, the Internet's hoax paradise

Washington

IF YOU are a chain letter hoax, then heaven is for real and it is Facebook. The site has hosted an army of copyright and giveaway hoaxes in recent years with a fury not seen since the heydays of the e-mailed chain letter.

And now, the social network is trying, and failing, to shake off a month- long, false viral post claiming that anyone who shares it will win part of the social network founder's fortune.

The hoax began on or around Dec 1, shortly after Mark Zuckerberg announced the birth of his daughter - and said he and his wife Priscilla Chan plan to eventually donate 99 per cent of their Facebook shares to charitable causes. The chain post claims that Mr Zuckerberg also announced he would give 10 per cent of those shares to those who copie…