Android app 'cleans up' Facebook image

Worried your Facebook page may contain something incriminating if a prospective employer checks it? There’s an app for that. The app, dubbed “Exfoliate," automates the removal of “old forgotten content" from Facebook that it said may threaten an account holder’s privacy. “On your wall, Exfoliate can remove any post, comment, or like, whether made by you or by others, older than a time you specify. Exfoliate can remove your own posts, comments, and likes, from your friends’ walls too. You can choose the age of items you wish removed, and Exfoliate will remove any items that are at least as old as your selection from any of your selected content areas," read a description of the app on the Android Market. But it warned the deletion of the posts by the app will be permanent. “It is not backed up and it is not recoverable," it said. The app uses web transactions to access and remove unwanted content, and will require that the user log into his or her Facebook account from within Exfoliate. “Neither the makers of Exfoliate nor any third-party are ever presented with any of your data," it added. On the other hand, the developer said Exfoliate will likely take many hours or longer to complete its work, although the app can be stopped at any time and can resume where it left off. The app costs P129.49 and was last updated November 7. It runs on Android 2.2 and up. A separate article on CNET quoted programmer Michael Devine as saying he realized that not all potential employers would appreciate his Facebook posts as much as his friends do, while he was looking for a job earlier this year. “I’m an impulsive guy. I like making people laugh and I also have strong political views. Given that, you can imagine the kinds of things I post on Facebook. So I wanted to clean up my own profile and thought others might want this as well," he said in an interview with CNET. iPhone version coming Devine said an iPhone version is expected in a few weeks, and may cost $2.99. CNET noted the app is a bandwidth hog, “so you would want to let it run for a few hours when it is plugged in at home on your Wi-Fi network." — LBG, GMA News