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After three years, deleting Facebook photos finally works like it should

After three years, deleting Facebook photos finally works like it should

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Facebook has begun deleting photos in a timely manner, reports Ars Technica. The company now has improved infrastructure and a 30-day "max-age" policy for removing deleted photos from its content delivery network.

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facebook photo app stock 1020
facebook photo app stock 1020

Three years after news first broke about Facebook’s snail-like response to photo deletion requests, it appears that the site is finally deleting photos in a timely manner. Ars Technica writer Jacqui Cheng first reported on the matter in 2009 when she noticed that while Facebook was removing deleted photos from the site right away, the images were still acessible directly using their URLs — easy enough to grab with a right click. In February, Cheng took another look at Facebook’s performance and found that many photos deleted three years earlier could still be accessed with direct links.

Thankfully, things have been put right with improved infrastructure and a new 30-day "max-age" policy for removing deleted photos from its content delivery networks, although Cheng reports her own photos disappeared within two days. Of course, the safest way to ensure embarrassing photos don’t end up on the web is not to upload them in the first place.