Using an algorithm that picked out supposed highlights of 2014, Facebook's "Year in Review" app became a fixture on user newsfeeds a few weeks ago.
"It's been a great year! Thanks for being a part of it," the tagline accompanying popular photos reads.
For many it was a welcome reminder of good times, but for others the app struck a sour note by framing their distressing posts in a cheerful way.
Blogger Eric Meyer, whose young daughter passed away in 2014, was repeatedly reminded of his loss when her picture would pop up, flanked by clip-art partygoers and balloons.
"Yes, my year looked like that. True enough. My year looked like the now-absent face of my little girl. It was still unkind to remind me so forcefully," Meyer wrote.
"And I know, of course, that this is not a deliberate assault. This inadvertent algorithmic cruelty is the result of code that works in the overwhelming majority of cases, reminding people of the awesomeness of their years, showing them selfies at a party or whale spouts from sailing boats or the marina outside their vacation house."
"But for those of us who lived through the death of loved ones, or spent extended time in the hospital, or were hit by divorce or losing a job or any one of a hundred crises, we might not want another look at this past year."
The Washington Post reports that Facebook has reached out to apologize to Meyer.
"[The app] was awesome for a lot of people, but clearly in this case we brought him grief rather than joy," Facebook's product manager for Year in Review, Jonathan Gheller, reportedly said. "We can do better — I'm very grateful he took the time in his grief to write the blog post."
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