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Filter Out Certain People, Dates From Facebook's 'On This Day'

 & Angela Moscaritolo Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

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Looking back at old pics of your squad via Timehop or Facebook's On This Day feature can bring back some great memories. Seeing snaps of the ex who broke your heart? Not so much.

So, Facebook is making it so you never again have to remember that horrible ex when you revisit your memories. The social network on Tuesday updated On This Day to let you filter out memories from a certain person, specific dates, or date ranges.

The new filters are launching globally today; they're available by visiting On This Day on the desktop. Just click the Preferences button in the header, and you'll be able to filter specific people or dates you'd rather not see.

Facebook On This Day

"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. "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."

Facebook is probably trying to avoid a scenario like Timehop's 9/11 memorial blunder last year. The app accidentally paired a Sept. 11 tribute with randomly generated quotes saying things like "This day was more awesome than that time we played Marco Polo in the grocery store."

About Our Expert

Angela Moscaritolo

Angela Moscaritolo

Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

My Experience

I'm PCMag's managing editor for consumer electronics, overseeing an experienced team of analysts covering smart home, home entertainment, wearables, fitness and health tech, and various other product categories. I have been with PCMag for more than 10 years, and in that time have written more than 6,000 articles and reviews for the site. I previously served as an analyst focused on smart home and wearable devices, and before that I was a reporter covering consumer tech news. I'm also a yoga instructor, and have been actively teaching group and private classes for nearly a decade. 

Prior to joining PCMag, I was a reporter for SC Magazine, focusing on hackers and computer security. I earned a BS in journalism from West Virginia University, and started my career writing for newspapers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

The Technology I Use

My little Florida beach bungalow is brimming with smart home tech. I have a smart speaker or display in every room, allowing me to control other connected devices by voice. The Nest Hub on my bedside table lets me set wake-up alarms, control my smart light bulbs, and set the temperature on my smart thermostat. I use the Amazon Echo Show 8 on my kitchen counter to browse recipes, reorder protein powder, check the weather, and watch the news while I do dishes. 

Because I suffer from allergies, air purifiers are essential. My favorite model is the Dyson Purifier Cool TP07, which doubles as a fan and continuously sends indoor pollution data to its companion mobile app. 

My pitbull Bradley sheds, so a good robot vacuum is a must. I currently use a premium Ecovacs Deebot that can both vacuum and mop, empty its own dustbin, and wash its own mop cloth. 

For fitness, I like to mix up my routine with cycling, indoor rowing, running, and strength training in addition to yoga. I take classes on the Tonal 2 smart strength training machine, I row indoors on an Aviron machine, and track my beach runs with an Apple Watch while listening to music on my Apple AirPods Pro. On the weekends, I love riding e-bikes like the rugged, beach-friendly Aventon Aventure for fun and fitness.

My job involves a lot of virtual meetings, so a quality webcam, microphone, and ring light are important. I use the Jabra PanaCast 20 webcam, the Elgato Wave: 3 microphone, and a Yesker tripod ring light. 

As for my preferred phone platform, I'm an iPhone person, but I've also extensively used Android for product testing.

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