Why Facebook has had to say sorry for its 'Year in Review' indy100 indy100 Indy100 logoNewsletter sign upRegister/Sign inTop 100NewsViralPoliticsCelebritiesScience & TechVideoWishlistWishlistBooksFashion & BeautyFood & DrinkHome & GardenKidsSports & FitnessTechTravel & OutdoorsMoreScience & techVideoConversationsSportIdentitiesLifestyleShowbizTVSearchxScience & Tech

Why Facebook has had to say sorry for its ' Year in Review'

Evan BartlettDec 28, 2014 You've probably seen it pop up on your own feed. Like many people you may have watched it and enjoyed it and shared it with your friends. But Facebook has apologised to one user after its Year in Review post - algorithmically tailored to each individual user - brought up bad memories. The Year in Review post is supposed to show the photographic highlights of a person's year - based on views and interactions - but for one man it reminded him just how heart-wrenching his had been. Web developer Eric Meyer criticised the algorithm in a blog post after it "so forcefully" brought up a picture of his six-year-old daughter who died earlier this year after suffering from brain cancer. The picture appeared in the preview post asking him if he'd like to see his Year in Review. For those of us who lived through the death of loved ones, or spent extended time in the hospital, or were hit by divorce or losing a job or any one of a hundred crises, we might not want another look at this past year. To show me Rebecca’s face and say “Here’s what your year looked like!” is jarring. It feels wrong, and coming from an actual person, it would be wrong. Coming from code, it’s just unfortunate.Eric Meyer Speaking to the Washington Post, Facebook spokesperson Jonathan Gheller said: "[The app] was awesome for a lot of people, but clearly in this case we brought him grief rather than joy." "It's valuable feedback," he added. "We can do better - I'm very grateful he took the time in his grief to write the blog post."Keep reading...Show less

Could ' adults-only' TikTok feature turn it into the new OnlyFans

Scientists shocked as black hole burps up star years after eating it

New discovery made on exoplanets where it could rain sapphires and rubies

Please log in or register to upvote this article

Top 100

Who won today' s PMQs Truss tells Starmer she' s ' a fighter not a quitter'

prime minister's questionspmqsliz trusskeir starmerprime minister's questions1h

Elon Musk reportedly thought that Grimes was not real

elon muskgrimescelebritiesspacexteslaelon musk5h

Just Stop Oil protester praised for ' great' explanation of soup stunt

just stop oilvan goghprotestclimate activistsjust stop oil5h

Gerard Pique may have to wear his ex Shakira' s name on a Barcelona shirt

shakiraspotifyshakirabarcelonagerard pique3m

Kanye West just applied for a trademark for a very NSFW phrase

kanye westbusinessclothingnsfwsupremetrademarktremaine emoryuskanye west6m

Who are the Tory MPs calling for Liz Truss to resign

liz trussresigncrispin bluntjamie wallisandrew bridgenliz truss9m

The tomb of ' Santa Claus' has been discovered in Turkey

santa clausturkeyst nicholassanta claus23m

Lisa Gilroy' s sad story about rude fans goes viral but there' s a twist

celebritiesviralcomedianlisa gilroyTwittercelebrities26m

Man endures ' 29 hour flight' with screaming kids for the entire trip

flightOct 12, 2022

Lorraine Kelly hits out at Madonna' s ' boiled egg' face

madonnaOct 11, 2022

Elon Musk is actually selling a ' Burnt Hair' fragrance

elon muskOct 12, 2022

Couple spark debate for ' scandalous' wedding cake topper

wedding cakeOct 12, 2022

Love Island star shows extent of how far influencers edit photos

Love IslandOct 11, 2022

Jon Stewart slams Arkansas attorney general for her ' anti-trans law'

lgbt+Oct 11, 2022The Conversation (0)