Facebook now lets you remove bad memories from your Year in Review

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Facebook now lets you remove bad memories from your Year in Review
Credit: Will Fenstermaker/Mashable

2015 is almost over and Facebook is ready with a fresh dose of -- hopefully happy -- nostalgia.

Facebook's Year in Review feature, which offers a look back at some of your top Facebook photos from the past year, is now live. This year, the social network has redesigned the feature to look like a photo strip and has made it more customizable to help filter out sad memories.

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The change comes following backlash over the feature last year, after some people criticized the feature for surfacing memories they'd rather not be reminded of, like photos of exes or of friends who had died.

This year, Facebook has made the feature fully customizable so users can swap out any of the photos they don't want to appear with another image that they uploaded or were tagged in. Additionally, Facebook says it took a new approach to choosing the photos, in attempt to filter out potentially problematic memories.

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Credit: Facebook

In a statement, a Facebook spokesperson said the algorithm behind the Year in Review feature applies a "unique set of filters" to "reduce the chance we’ll show you a photo you don’t want to see."

We heard feedback last year that we need to do more to select the photos that are most enjoyable to people and make it easier for them to edit the photos they see and share in their Year in Review. So we've applied a unique set of filters to Your Year in Review to reduce the chance we’ll show you a photo you don’t want to see. And for the photos that our algorithms don't catch, we’re giving people control over the photos in their Year in Review. Any photo that we suggest that you'd rather not include can be easily removed or replaced, and you can choose whether you want to enjoy this experience yourself or share it with friends.

You can find your Year in Review here.

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BONUS: Facebook News Feed 101: How it works and what to expect next

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