Facebook is a nostalgia machine, with features like "Year in Review" and "On This Day" summoning photos and posts from the past in an attempt to entertain users. However, these memories aren't always welcome, and the social network has often been accused of "inadvertent algorithmic cruelty" — accidentally confronting users with painful memories, like images of dead friends and relatives, without warning. To avoid this the company is introducing a pair of filters for its "On This Day" tool, letting users specify individuals and dates they don't want to be reminded of.

"everyone has various kinds of memories that can be surfaced."

"We know that people share a range of meaningful moments on Facebook," said a spokesperson for the company in a statement. "As a result, everyone has various kinds of memories that can be surfaced — good, bad, and everything in between. So for the millions of people who use 'On This Day,' we've added these filters to give them more control over the memories they see."

A screenshot showing the filters in place. (Facebook)

Facebook was aware of the problems that surround this sort of automated nostalgia when it launched "On This Day" in March this year. The feature — which is simply a feed of content users posted on the same day in years past — tried to avoid potentially distressing memories by omitting, for example, posts featuring individuals that users had previously listed as romantic partners. But these precautions were inadequate. Earlier this year user Sean Forbes told The Verge that the feature had showed him a picture of his best friend who had committed suicide. "It’s just such an in-your-face reminder of what happened," said Forbes, "and it dredges up old memories and feelings."

These new filters aim to add more control to this experience, with Facebook even remembering users' preferences for painful dates. If a user specifies that a certain date is off-limits, the filters will remember this for future years — a considerate approach if someone posts annual remembrances for a friend or relative's death. "On This Day" is available to the majority of users, with the new filters accessible today.