Facebook keeps record of users' former lovers

LONDON, UK: Social networking website Facebook keeps a record of users' former lovers, if they had typed in the data earlier, but has now been forced to change a feature which caused their photos to appear when they logged in.

After users reacted over the Photo Memories sidebar, which gave users an "unpleasant surprise" by dredging up old photographs of ex-wives or husbands, Facebook has now blocked such photos.

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Sam Odio, Facebook's project manager said: "While users may still see Photo Memories of their former romantic partners if they didn't declare the relationship on Facebook - as well of their current partner with that person's former partners - the change should help heal the heartache for many users."

However, in order to successfully block the "hurt-inducing" snaps, the site is now keeping a record of its users' ex-partners - those who have used the site, The Independent reported.

If a person has told Facebook his or her relationship history, there is very little he or she can do to retrieve the information.

According to Facebook's policy: "Even after you remove information from your profile or delete your account, copies of that information may remain viewable elsewhere to the extent it has been shared with others, or it was copied or stored by other users."

Facebook says the fact that it maintains a log of people's romantic associations should not be a cause for concern.

"There is nothing Facebook could do with this information, just as a doctor couldn't share your past medical history with someone else," a spokesman said.

The New York Times has also said if Facebook disables a user's profile, it amounts to seizing his or her personal information. Even though the user vanishes from the site, yet Facebook retains the data which that user had submitted.