Technology

The Facebook Photos You Deleted Years Ago Could Still Exist…and Facebook Knows It

Facebook Improving Photo Deletion System to Remove Photos From Cyber Space Faster

You probably would want this photo deleted too. (Photo via LA Weekly/Mark "The Cobrasnake" Hunter)

Although you may have thought posting those pictures on Facebook was a good idea in college — or perhaps it wasn’t even you who posted them but a picture-zealous friend — you’ve decided to delete selected images in the hopes that friends, family and employers won’t have any embarrassing photo evidence against you.

Even though your mass deletion happened a few years ago, Ars Technica reports these photos could still exist. Apparently, it takes some time for Facebook to delete deleted photos from its own server. On Friday, Facebook told Ars Technica that it is working on a newer system that will delete deleted photos faster but the older, current system may not have deleted photos immediately as users thought it would.

Ars Technica found this out for the first time in 2009 when it showed that if you had a direct link to previously un-deleted photo, you could still access it. At the time, Facebook told them it was “working with our content delivery network (CDN) partner to significantly reduce the amount of time that backup copies persist.”

Three years after pointing out this flaw to Facebook, Ars Technica hasn’t seen much of an improvement on the system:

After confirming once again that all the photos that my friends and Ars readers had sent in were still online, I reached out to Facebook once again, looking for an answer as to why this is still going on nearly three years after the company first promised it was “working” on the issue.

“The systems we used for photo storage a few years ago did not always delete images from content delivery networks in a reasonable period of time even though they were immediately removed from the site,” Facebook spokesperson Frederic Wolens told Ars via e-mail.

Wolens explained that photos remaining online are stuck in a legacy system that was apparently never operating properly, but said the company is working on a new system that will delete the photos in a mere month and a half. For really real this time.

“We have been working hard to move our photo storage to newer systems which do ensure photos are fully deleted within 45 days of the removal request being received,” Wolens said. “This process is nearly complete and there is only a very small percentage of user photos still on the old system awaiting migration, the URL you provided was stored on this legacy system. We expect this process to be completed within the next month or two, at which point we will verify the migration is complete and we will disable all the old content.”

In short, instead of waiting years for your photo to be officially deleted with the soon-to-be-updated system, it will only exist in cyber space for an excess of 45 days.

[H/T: SlashGear]

Comments (42)

  • lucasb
    Posted on February 6, 2012 at 11:54pm

    I‘d just like to point out that it’s fairly standard for computer backup services (like Time Machine, Mozy, Crash Plan… etc) to not delete deleted files for some set amount of time. Why would I expect facebook’s backup service to be any different?

    Report Post »  
    • Gb_rebel
      Posted on February 8, 2012 at 9:23pm

      I would like to point out that I own the pictures on Face Book not face book. If I find that they
      ever use them without my permission let it be known I can and will sue them for illegal use.
      I have not given them permission to repost or reuse my material… Take that to the bank
      Face Book!!!!!!

      Report Post »  
  • sparkspeaks
    Posted on February 6, 2012 at 9:17pm

    Heads up. I got off facebook weeks ago. When I permanently deleted my account I was notified that it would take 14 days for it to close. …. I got off, because as I was typing things that I was learning from GBTV to all my friends….someone in”watch-you-world” was erasing my messages. I watched this happen 3 times. I was horrified and very angry. My freedom of speech was being erased by “THE WATCHERS”. My remarks were always titled, “NOT GOING QUIETLY”. WELL, I didn’t go quietly, but I went off FACEBOOK, just the same. In those profile things…I never gave correct information. I always made up stuff, age, place of birth, city, all that. Never used anything real.

    Report Post » sparkspeaks  
  • LIBS-ARE-DINGLEHEADS
    Posted on February 6, 2012 at 3:43pm

    THIS JUST IN…

    Today, 3 social media networks are merging….

    The new name of the combined company;

    YOU TWIT FACE

    Report Post » LIBS-ARE-DINGLEHEADS  
  • tharpdevenport
    Posted on February 6, 2012 at 2:14pm

    Anyone who believes sites like Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace actualyl delete your images and information, is deluding themselves. They keep all that, some of it indiefinately.

    Just like Google keeps records of your searches.

    And, if you have Hotmail, have you noticed the new change? I caught the change a few weeks ago — it’s fairly new. When you empty your “Deleted” e-mail folder, they e-mails … are not DELETED. Look again. At the bottom it says:
    “Lost a message? When you recover deleted messages, we bring back as many as we can.”

    Remember when it said the e-mails would be unrecoverable? That’s because they were going bye-bye perminently. Now, they’re hanging on to them. And who would want to store and read e-mails after they are deleted? Why, The Federal Government. They’re here to help*.

    * = Helping will varying in your situation. If HUGE BOONDAGLES occur, consult a conservative.

    Report Post » tharpdevenport  
    • mullet
      Posted on February 6, 2012 at 2:24pm

      Its crazy how much resources and capital companies will use to keep billions of completely uninteresting emails between people and their Aunt Irma. I’d be suspicious of such activity too, except for I realized that no one even cared about how far I had to carry that moose from my hunting trip in ‘08; they only wanted to sell me a new bow. Completely heartless, thats what it is. When did people become 1s and 0s?

      Report Post » mullet  
    • Brooke Lorren
      Posted on February 6, 2012 at 3:58pm

      Haha, they can keep all the spam in my inbox, LOL. I rarely ever send anything out.

      Report Post »  
    • tharpdevenport
      Posted on February 6, 2012 at 4:49pm

      MULLET,

      What you say to your aunt is not important. What you do, and how ou can be used, if needed, later, is. I suggest you study up on the KGB and Soviet Russia.

      Report Post » tharpdevenport  
    • Jwmajic
      Posted on February 6, 2012 at 10:37pm

      This is where Microsoft and Yahoo store all that data they mine from your searches. Sorry I couldn‘t find a more up to date story but I’ve been there the buildings there are huge.

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5Y63M0Ow8I

      Report Post »  
  • Jive Mickey
    Posted on February 6, 2012 at 2:02pm

    Facebook is forever. It should be All-Up-In-Your-FACEbook. I deleted all my photos and personal information then supposedly closed my FaceBook account. That was three years ago. Then recently, I was bombarded with friend requests from friends who said they never sent them. They were surprised to discover that they had a Facebook page, even though they never signed up. I was surprised that my Facebook page was still active, every detail, even though I had deleted everything and closed the account. My page was loaded with advertising from a variety of companies that I never heard of or endorsed, yet somehow “Jive Mickey Likes QLZ company” and crap like that was all over my Facebook page. Once they have your information, the whole world has it. Forever and Ever Amen.

    Report Post »  
    • Jwmajic
      Posted on February 6, 2012 at 10:42pm

      My father died 4 years ago and this last summer his yahoo mail account got hacked and was being used to send out disgusting ads. There is professional hackers out there looking for “dead” accounts to use to send Spam. I had a hell of a time getting that account shut down I had to spend a day on the phone with yahoo raising hell because these ads from my dads account was upsetting family and friends.

      Report Post »  
  • COFemale
    Posted on February 6, 2012 at 1:42pm

    This is why I never put out personal photos on Facebook. I post landscape or animal pictures. The only picture I have is what I looked like 20 years ago.

    Report Post » COFemale  
    • mullet
      Posted on February 6, 2012 at 1:59pm

      …And this is why you do not have any friends.

      Report Post » mullet  
    • Brooke Lorren
      Posted on February 6, 2012 at 4:03pm

      I don’t put many pictures up either. Part of it is because Facebook said that they’d own anything that you put up on the site. I like to retain ownership of my content because I make money from it.

      Report Post »  
    • shroom
      Posted on February 8, 2012 at 10:44pm

      Mullet, that was cold! Lol

      Report Post »  
  • Rocky_biskit
    Posted on February 6, 2012 at 12:40pm

    This is also true of comments that are deleted. I have been banned from Lib groups and after the Admin deleted my comments I could still access them.

    As a side note, I am not sure why the Admin in a Lib group would want to delete my comments!

    Report Post »  
    • stumpy68
      Posted on February 6, 2012 at 6:01pm

      They wouldn’t do that that would be censorship LMAO

      Report Post » stumpy68  
  • missmollywog
    Posted on February 6, 2012 at 11:50am

    I realized this was happening last year cause I would find my deleted pics on the right side of my fb page with a question as to where the pic was taken….pics I had deleted months ago…

    Report Post »  
  • missmollywog
    Posted on February 6, 2012 at 11:47am

    I knew about this last year when FB kept posting deleted pics on the right side of my screen asking where the pic was taken….I have seen many that I have already deleted months ago….FB is getting to nosey for their own good.

    Report Post »  
  • omgfolks
    Posted on February 6, 2012 at 11:14am

    I have never been on Face Book or the other sites like it, posting information on the net CANNOT be protected, everyday some 12 year old gets into sensitive areas of Goverment or big corperations, everyday crooks search for ways to steal your info for financial gain. So why would I want to Help them to do it? It is crazy how much you can learn from people of these sites and hear how they have been manipulated in some form or fashion, and they only have themselves to balme for it.. Sad that people do this to themselves, but hey, forsight is a thing of the past, thinking through ones actions are a thing of the past…. Once it is there it is there for ever, its one someones hard drive, or storage locker, scary….

    Report Post »  
    • mullet
      Posted on February 6, 2012 at 2:02pm

      Uh oh, someone is gonna find out you just posted something online. You are gonna regret this someday…

      Report Post » mullet  
  • Solfire
    Posted on February 6, 2012 at 11:11am

    That’s a fairly standard way of handling content on such a massive website. They probably just flag the photo as “deleted” and make it unviewable but don’t actually delete it from their system.

    Report Post » Solfire  
    • Freedom.Fighter
      Posted on February 6, 2012 at 11:18am

      I don’t usually want to emulate the European Union, but I think we need to draft a bill similar to their’s regarding deletion of data. If their bill passes (or has already) a company has only so much time to delete your data when asked (via a delte button for instance), or upon you closing your own account, to permanently delete the data or face enormous fines and potential lawsuits. Also, that way they cannot use your info/photos to continue to sell/market eben after you have tried to sever ties with them.

      Report Post » Freedom.Fighter  
  • rsletto
    Posted on February 6, 2012 at 11:10am

    of course… everyone should now know that once you post something on the net its there forever even if you “delete it”, it will still be there in cyberspace.

    Report Post » rsletto  
  • Beerbear
    Posted on February 6, 2012 at 10:57am

    Sorry, but I don’t feel very concerned and sad for people who plant their personal information all over the net.

    I use google+, but not with my real name. I have a facebook account, but not with my real name. If you google my real name, you will find a doctor, an engineer, a lawyer and a phycisist. But not me.

    It’s your own fault when you plaster all your information on the net. Your personal info is need to know basis. If you throw it around everywhere, everyone will know it.

    Report Post »  
    • mullet
      Posted on February 6, 2012 at 2:06pm

      Who is Googling you? Who cares? Sorry to be so cynical people, but really. If you were famous you wouldn’t be able to hide from the internet. The only explanation I can find is you are some kind of criminal who would be arrested if only someone could locate you on the interwebz…

      Report Post » mullet  
  • TheBritshRcmg
    Posted on February 6, 2012 at 10:06am

    Come to Facebook! Create the governments file on yourself and your friends.

    Report Post »  
  • Anonymous T. Irrelevant
    Posted on February 6, 2012 at 9:57am

    I quit using FaceBook over a year ago, only posted non-descript pictures and entered false information into the profile. I don’t trust either FaceBook or Google. Even when FaceBook’s IPO came out, I wanted nothing to do with it.

    Report Post » Anonymous T. Irrelevant  
    • bikerr
      Posted on February 6, 2012 at 1:08pm

      The liberal papers in my town have switched to using facebook in order to get you to comment on articles. I haven‘t joined and now I am glad I didn’t. It’s kinda tough not being able to leave a comment but,oh well at least I’m not being used.

      Report Post »  
    • SageInWaiting
      Posted on February 6, 2012 at 1:35pm

      Several months ago FB gave me a list of my and my friends cell phone numbers – install the app on your phone, they steal that info… another piece of trivia in my gov’t file. When I give up my company phone and get a new one, apps will be self limited.

      Report Post » SageInWaiting  
  • Stoic one
    Posted on February 6, 2012 at 9:46am

    Once recorded ; always stored. For prosperity of course.

    Report Post » Stoic one  
  • wingedwolf
    Posted on February 6, 2012 at 9:42am

    Known public domain my foot. People can take pictures of you without your knowledge and post them on their pages and tag you in them, and all you can do about that is remove the tag. Once your name is associated with a picture, you have no power over it unless the poster takes it down. And that is ridiculous and an imposition. How does one control who takes a picture of them the way everyone carries a cell phone, even degenerate bottom feeding entitlement people, thanks to the taxpayers?

    Report Post » wingedwolf  
  • Mr.Fitnah
    Posted on February 6, 2012 at 9:25am

    Facebookers will soon be paying for the facebook habit

    Report Post » Mr.Fitnah  
    • MonkeyBeagle
      Posted on February 6, 2012 at 9:29am

      your right! I hate facebook. dont use it. they know everyone you know, and know everyone they know. think about it, its a spiderweb. lol.

      Report Post »  
    • v15
      Posted on February 6, 2012 at 10:51am

      My facebook name is a name that I made up. Some information, such as my interests, is true but where I work, what religion I adhere to, and my political views are all made up as well. My profile picture doesn’t show my face. I started changing my name and information about 2 years ago. Many of my friends have done the same thing. The reason I changed everything was because I didn’t want employees, my bosses, credit agencies, prospective employers, etc to find me. So much “facebook stalking” occurs so I created an alias to mitigate the risk of that happening. BUT I‘m sure it isn’t enough because I’m sure any intermediate hacker could obtain my real information if they dug hard enough. I never tried Twitter because it sounds even more intrusive than Facebook. btw..Is YouTube owned in part by Google because I got some new privacy policy on my YouTube account.

      Report Post » v15  
  • cessna152
    Posted on February 6, 2012 at 9:19am

    People, this is know public domain. Example: If you hang photos on a public bulletin board and someone takes it then that is your problem for hanging it there. However, if someone steals it off of YOUR bulletin board now it is a legal problem. All that have signed up for these “free” services have to give up something and that is your information. Either live with it or get off of these sites. I hate to say that but that is what we agree to when we sign on these sites.

    However, giving our information over to the government, that’s when it crosses the line.

    Report Post » cessna152  
  • imconservative
    Posted on February 6, 2012 at 9:05am

    The folks pointing this out state that “ After confirming once again that all the photos that my friends and Ars readers had sent in were still online”. Yet, Facebook states that – “there is only a very small percentage of user photos still on the old system awaiting migration”. What are the odds that All their photos happen to be one of the “very small percentage” remaining and that it would take 3 years to do this?? Just admit it Facebook, our privacy is the least of your worries!

    Report Post » imconservative  
  • Gonzo
    Posted on February 6, 2012 at 8:44am

    I have found the secret to keeping all your information safe from Facebook. Don’t use it.

    Report Post » Gonzo  
  • joe conservative
    Posted on February 6, 2012 at 8:41am

    And don’t forget….the current President wants all your medical records online. Doesn’t that sound like a great idea? I‘m sure that won’t increase identity theft at all (wink).
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzy7c0JUWEA

    Report Post » joe conservative  
    • Rarejewel
      Posted on February 6, 2012 at 2:54pm

      Wants Medical Records? – Sorry they have them already since the 90s.. I remember back in the early 90s- when you visited the doctor and completed the health section for the doctor-you were giving info before records were fed into a data base. I was told to just mark no on everything–no way could they check further – prior doctor dead and all records destroyed after a few years. Had you put a surgery down – could come back to haunt. See where I’m coming from? Now the government knows every thing-when you had poison ivy, wax removed from your ear-those visits are fed into the data base. I have not had a flu shot since I read about the side effects- had 1 after Hong Kong flu in 1969 & none since. .I’m now 75 and waiting for the day when I get a knock on the door or a letter asking about that. I say, keep ‘em guessing. I’ll take info on me to my grave.Obama care will put me out to pasture at this age anyway- I’ll have a blank history.

      Report Post »  
  • Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
    Posted on February 6, 2012 at 8:40am

    What else is new, facebook is in the process of building up a business to rival google itself for information; and info is power – control it and you control the world.

    Report Post » Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}  
    • horsefeathers99
      Posted on February 6, 2012 at 11:10am

      Both Google and Facebook have large data storage units and growing in central Oregon for all that data, that is there to stay I would guess.

      Report Post »  

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