Facebook lets you filter bad memories out of your nostalgia

The latest attempt to avoid rubbing users the wrong way comes in the form of filters for the Year in Review and On This Day features. Forbes has written an “R.I.P.” note on his friend’s memorial page after he learned about the suicide but Facebook had to bring up “an in-your-face reminder of what happened, and it dredges up old memories and feelings”.

Then, there are times when this walk down memory lane goes off the rails and we are reminded of a darker memory, such as having to relive a painful breakup or that a family member is no longer with us.

The new filters are launching globally today; they’re available by visiting On This Day on the desktop.

If they don’t want an On This Day memory to pop up on the anniversary of an ill-fated engagement, bereavement or other sad occasion that date can be scrubbed from the calendar too.

“We know that people share a range of meaningful moments on Facebook – from celebrating good times like a birthday to getting support in tough times like the passing of a friend or relative”, a Facebook spokesperson said in a statement. You can add people or specific dates to your filtered list to permanently remove any particular person or date (like the day of your first wedding) from appearing again. “As a result, everyone has various kinds of memories that can be surfaced – good, bad, and everything in between”.

The potential for unwanted memories to crop up in this feature has been an endemic flaw in On This Day since it arrived earlier this year.