Facebook Photos Stick Around for 16 Months After Deletion

Have you or someone you know posted a photo on Facebook that you'd like removed for one reason or another? Maybe the content is embarrassing or you're just not happy with the shot, but either way, you just don't want that photo to be around anymore.

When you delete a picture, it leaves your album instantly, but that doesn't mean the data is going anywhere. The photo itself is still stored in a cache where it can remain for up to 16 months, according to the folks at Ars Technica.

This probably won't be a problem, since the only way to access the photo is with a direct link. Supposing someone does link to your Facebook photo, that link will stay up far longer than the photo itself.

Facebook was quick to comment on the revelation, stating that "We're currently working with the CDN on a fix that will delete photo and video content from the CDN's cache shortly after it's removed on Facebook."