( Ars Technica ) -- Facebook is still working on deleting photos from its servers in a timely manner nearly three years after Ars first brought attention to the topic . The company admitted on Friday that its older systems for storing uploaded content `` did not always delete images from content delivery networks in a reasonable period of time even though they were immediately removed from the site , '' but said it 's currently finishing up a newer system that makes the process much quicker . In the meantime , photos that users thought they `` deleted '' from the social network months or even years ago remain accessible via direct link . The problem : `` deleted '' photos never go away . When we first investigated this phenomenon in 2009 , we discovered that photos `` deleted '' from Facebook seemingly never go away if you have a direct link to the image file on Facebook 's servers . Users who might have had second thoughts about posting a photo -- whether it was because they did n't want retaliation from an employer , wanted to avoid family drama , or uploaded a photo of a friend without their permission—could certainly remove the image from Facebook 's main user interface , but as long as someone had a direct link to the .jpg file in question , the photo would remain accessible for an indefinite amount of time . When we asked Facebook about it , we were told that the company was `` working with our content delivery network ( CDN ) partner to significantly reduce the amount of time that backup copies persist . '' But when we followed up on the story more than a year later , our `` deleted '' photos were still accessible via direct link . That 's when the reader stories started pouring in : we were told horror stories about online harassment using photos that were allegedly deleted years ago , and users who were asked to take down photos of friends that they had put online . There were plenty of stories in between as well , and panicked Facebook users continue to e-mail me , asking if we have heard of any new way to ensure that their deleted photos are , well , deleted . For example , one reader linked me to a photo that a friend of his had posted of his toddler crawling naked on the lawn . He asked his friend to take it down for obvious reasons , and so the friend did -- in May of 2008 . As of this writing in 2012 , I have personally confirmed that the photo is still online , as are several others that readers linked me to that were deleted at various points in 2009 and 2010 . ( Amusingly , after publishing the 2010 followup , Facebook appeared to delete my photos from its CDN that I had linked in the piece . The company never offered me any explanation , but my photos were the only ones that were deleted at that time . Other `` deleted '' photos that I had saved links to -- ones that were n't from my account and were deleted even earlier than mine—remained online . ) It 's 2012 , and things are n't much different -- yet . After confirming once again that all the photos that my friends and Ars readers had sent in were still online , I reached out to Facebook once again , looking for an answer as to why this is still going on nearly three years after the company first promised it was `` working '' on the issue . `` The systems we used for photo storage a few years ago did not always delete images from content delivery networks in a reasonable period of time even though they were immediately removed from the site , '' Facebook spokesperson Frederic Wolens told Ars via e-mail . Wolens explained that photos remaining online are stuck in a legacy system that was apparently never operating properly , but said the company is working on a new system that will delete the photos in a mere month and a half . For really real this time . `` We have been working hard to move our photo storage to newer systems which do ensure photos are fully deleted within 45 days of the removal request being received , '' Wolens said . `` This process is nearly complete and there is only a very small percentage of user photos still on the old system awaiting migration , the URL you provided was stored on this legacy system . We expect this process to be completed within the next month or two , at which point we will verify the migration is complete and we will disable all the old content . '' Long story short , Wolens claims that Facebook is on the verge of fixing up its content systems so that `` deleted '' photos are really , truly deleted from the CDN within 45 days . But with the process not expected to be finished until a couple months from now—and unfortunately , with a company history of stretching the truth when asked about this topic—we 'll have to see it before we believe it . It 's hard to believe that we 've been following this story over a period of years and the problem has n't been fixed yet . But unlike the past , we do have some semblance of confidence that Facebook might actually be working on it this time . We 'll continue to follow this story until the new changes are actually in place . In the meantime , does anyone have any new Facebook horror stories to share ? COPYRIGHT 2011 ARSTECHNICA.COM .
Facebook explained that its older systems f '' did not always delete images '' The problem was ` ` issues with our content delivery network ( CDN ) . '' Frederic Wolens explained that photos taken online are stuck in a legacy system .