People believe dumb stuff. One dumb thing they believe? That Bitstrips — those mildly-irritating cartoons being shared a lot on Facebook right now — are actually a secret spying tool for the US National Security Agency (NSA).
Mythbusting site Snopes traces the origins of this particular belief to a parody news article published in Call The Cops. This particular myth has been bouncing around all month, but I’m still seeing it pop up on Facebook. It’s nonsense.
If your tinfoil hat is particularly tight, you might want to claim that just because a self-evidently fake news article about the connection between Bitstrips and the NSA is doing the rounds, that doesn’t prove there isn’t an actual connection. No, it doesn’t — but until a connection is demonstrated, to assume one exists is equally stupid. Better to concentrate on ensuring your privacy settings on Facebook ensure that information isn’t shared with the world at large.
If your biggest issue with Bitstrips is how often they’re popping up in your Facebook feed, check out our guide to how to block them.
Comments
2 responses to “No, Bitstrips Is Not Spying On You For The NSA”
Good to know it’s fake, but can we still perpetuate the myth? Even with the app blocked, I still see “x was tagged in y’s photo” with a chronically unfunny bitstrip picture in it.
I’m curious as to who actually believes this in order for this to actually warrant an article…
Just say no to shitstrips! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYmMt-_pK4E