Facebook and Instagram Services Restored After Widespread Outage
After experiencing significant disruptions earlier in the day, Meta has confirmed the restoration of its Facebook and Instagram services. The outage affected over half a million users, with reports of difficulties logging in and accessing the platforms.
Extent of the Outage
According to DownDetector, which monitors internet service outages, more than 500,000 reports of issues were filed by U.S. Facebook users, along with over 70,000 reports from Instagram users, around 10:30 a.m. ET.
Users primarily encountered problems with logging into the Facebook app and experiencing issues with the Instagram app.
Earlier today, a technical issue caused people to have difficulty accessing some of our services. We resolved the issue as quickly as possible for everyone who was impacted, and we apologize for any inconvenience. https://t.co/ybyyAZNAMn
— Andy Stone (@andymstone) March 5, 2024
Source: Twitter/Andy Stone
Swift Resolution and Apology
In response to the outage, a Meta spokesperson issued a statement acknowledging the technical issue and assuring users that it had been swiftly resolved. The spokesperson apologized for any inconvenience caused by the disruption in service.
Global Impact
The outage was not limited to a specific region, with users from various countries worldwide reporting difficulties accessing Facebook. Concerns arose among users, particularly regarding potential hacking incidents, as many found themselves logged out and unable to regain access with their passwords.
Confirmation by Internet Monitoring Agency
NetBlocks, a global internet monitor, confirmed the widespread nature of the outages across multiple Meta platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and Threads. They clarified that the disruptions were not linked to country-level internet disruptions or filtering.
Meta’s Response to Sign-Out Issues
In addition to Facebook and Instagram, reports emerged of sign-out issues affecting Meta Quest's virtual reality headsets. However, WhatsApp, another platform owned by Meta, appeared to be unaffected by the outage.
U.S. Cybersecurity Agency’s Statement
A senior official from the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency informed reporters that they had not identified any specific connection between the outage and elections or malicious cyberactivity. The agency continues to monitor the situation closely.
Connection to Compliance with EU Regulations
The outage coincided with the looming deadline for major tech companies to comply with the European Union's new Digital Markets Act, set for Thursday.
Meta is making changes in response to these regulations, such as allowing users to separate their Facebook and Instagram accounts to protect their personal information from being used for targeted online advertising.
Uncertainty Surrounding the Cause
Despite speculation, it remains unclear whether the outage is directly linked to Meta's efforts to comply with the new regulations. NetBlocks director of research Isik Mater described the incident as a "major outage," emphasizing the widespread impact and the unusual status displayed on Meta's official status page during the disruption.
Conclusion
Meta, with its vast user base exceeding 2 billion daily active users worldwide, faced a significant challenge with the outage.
While services have been restored, questions linger regarding the cause and potential implications for the company's compliance efforts and cybersecurity measures.
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