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Woman, 104, lies about age; Facebook apologizes

Woman, 104, lies about age to access Facebook because the social networking site won't let her enter in 1908 as the year she was born. Facebook has since apologized for making the woman, 104-year-old Marguerite Joseph, lie about her age and is working to fix the problem.

Woman, 104, lies about her age to get on Facebook. The social media giant allows her to select 1908, but then the date reverts to 1928 once the settings are saved.
  • By Staff Associated Press

| Grosse Point Shores, Mich.

Facebook is apologizing for a problem that makes a 104-year-old Michigan woman lie about her age on the social media website.

Marguerite Joseph's granddaughter says Facebook won't let Joseph list her real age.

Gail Marlow says when she tries inputting her grandmother's birth year as 1908, Facebook changes it to 1928. So for the past two years, the Grosse Pointe Shores centenarian has remained 99 — online, anyway.

Joseph is legally blind and can't hear well, but Marlow reads and responds to all her Facebook messages.

Marlow tells WDIV-TV she'd "love to see" Joseph's real age posted and chalks it up to "a glitch in the system."

Facebook spokesman Andrew Noyes told The Associated Press on Wednesday that it's working to fix a problem limiting used of pre-1910 birthdates.

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