Facebook users can now set the privacy of each of the photos in their “Profile Pictures” album.
The social network previously only allowed users to set a blanket privacy setting for the entire album. The change makes profile pictures the same as mobile uploads and wall photos (the only other albums for which users can select the audience for each individual photo).
Current profile pictures and cover photos remain public, but the change means users can make sure co-workers or employers don't get to see the potentially embarrassing or inappropriate profile pictures from the past.
Facebook will reportedly inform users of the new privacy options with sidebar ads that explain the changes and direct users to the Help Centre to find out more.
The privacy changes also follow reports that Facebook has finally resolved a problem with the continued storage of deleted photos on its servers. The social network has been criticised by privacy groups since the problem was first identified in 2009.
reports that now finally Facebook's new server system completely erases photos (within a reasonable period of time) when users click “delete”. Three years ago, Ars Technica reported that while deleted photos no longer appeared in user's profiles, anyone with the exact address of the photo on Facebook could still view it.
While the URLs for images are always complex combinations of numbers and letters that no one is likely to remember, the problem remained for users who might have copied and pasted the link elsewhere.
In February, Facebook stated it was working on moving its photo storage onto newer systems that would allow for images to be deleted from the servers within 45 days. Now, Facebook says it has instituted a 30-day limit for storage of deleted photos on its content delivery network, but it is likely images will be completely erased from the servers much faster than that.
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