A warning circulating on Facebook states that the social network will be closed for maintenance for three days in February. We’ll take a look at the story a little further.

It’s not true.

First let’s take a look at the warning itself. Though according to Sophos, the warning appears to have started in French, there is an English version being passed around:

WARNING!! Facebook will be closed for maintenance from February 29th to 31st!! Facebook wants YOU to Share this message with at least 15 of your friends for the best chance of alerting everyone. Many people will try to log in from February 29 to 31, just to find the site closed down for those days with no warning.

Impossible Date

Anyone with a rudimentary knowledge of the calendar and month of February knows February 30 and February 31 do not exist. Further, February 29 only exists every 4 years, and this year is not a Leap Year.

2014 Version

Although we first spotted the “Closed for Maintenance” hoax in 2012, it resurfaced again in 2013 and 2014, virtually unchanged from year to year.

Facebook Maintenance

Facebook has given no such “down for maintenance” announcement.

Bottom Line

This is either a poor attempt at a hoax, or a successful attempt at a joke.  Either way, it’s not real.

First posted February 6, 2012
Last updated January 4, 2014