No, The French Flag Colours Overlay on Facebook Profile Pics is NOT a Virus

According to a rather strange little rumour that is currently gathering momentum on Facebook, the French flag colours overlay that many people are currently using for their profile pictures is a virus.

However, the overlay is certainly not a virus and is in no way malicious. The overlay is simply a way to show solidarity with France and the people of Paris after the recent terrorist attack in that nation.

Facebook now offers the option to temporarily change your profile picture to support a cause or even your sports team. The change places an overlay over your normal profile picture and you have the option of specifying how long the change will remain:

When a friend changes his or her profile pic to show the French flag colours overlay, news of the change will appear on your feed. If the temporary profile change option is available to you, you may see a ‘Try It’ button on the bottom of the profile change post:

The option may not be available to all Facebook users at this time.

It is unclear how the ‘virus’ rumour started. Perhaps, because so many Facebook users changed to the overlay so quickly, some people suspected that the change was somehow being spread by a virus. But, to reiterate, the overlay is not a virus and is completely harmless.