Not true at all.
If you create and/or upload a repository to GitHub, you're giving others the permission to see and fork it. From the "Licensing a repository":
> If you publish your source code in a public repository on GitHub, according to the [Terms of Service](https://docs.github.com/en/site-policy/github-terms/github-t...), other users of GitHub.com have the right to view and fork your repository.
https://docs.github.com/en/repositories/managing-your-reposi...