Attempt to log in to your Facebook page brings the message: “Sorry, something went wrong. We’re working on it and we’ll get it fixed as soon as we can.” For Instagram’s web page, this message, “5xx Server Error” instead of pictures and videos, pops up.
Facebook apps went down on Monday for hours, in a major outage that has got users talking. From Facebook itself to Instagram, WhatApp to Messenger, users can’t access services.
The issue, which started around 11: 45am ET has recorded overwhelming reports on the website Downdetector, which tracks outages and issues across various websites and services.
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In a tweet addressing the outage, Facebook said, “We’re aware that some people are having trouble accessing our apps and products. We’re working to get things back to normal as quickly as possible, and we apologize for any inconvenience.”
The outage, which affected users around the world, beams with curiosity, as it is happening around the same time that Facebook is facing backlash from the Congress over leaked data which alleges that the social media platform contributed greatly to the Jan 6 Capitol riot.
The social media’s kid-apps have also used Twitter to address the outage.
“Instagram and friends are having a little bit of a hard time right now, and you may be having issues using them. Bear with us, we’re on it! #instagramdown,” Instagram tweeted.
WhatsApp followed shortly after the report was made saying that “we’re aware that some people are experiencing issues with WhatsApp at the moment. We’re working to get things back to normal and will send an update here as soon as possible. Thanks for your patience!”
Messenger offered a bit of explanation in its tweet; “Mercury in retrograde got the best of us. We’re working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible, and apologize for the inconvenience. #MessengerDown,” it said.
Downdetector said it has received more than 86,000 user reports of Facebook outages since 11:25am ET on Monday, according to its website. Of these issues, 79% were related to Facebook’s website, 12% were related to server connections, and 9% were related to the app.
There have been more than 76,000 user reports of Instagram outages, more than 21,000 user reports of WhatsApp outages, and more than 6,000 user reports of Messenger outages in the same timespan, according to Downdetector.
Insider reported New York Times technology reporter Ryan Mac, tweeting that the outage is also affecting Facebook’s internal platforms, so its employees can’t work right now, and Instagram chief Adam Mosseri tweeting that “it does feel like a snow day.”
In a “60 Minute interview” on Sunday, Frances Haugen, a former Facebook product manager had accused the social media giant of choosing profit over safety. The 37 years old whistle-blower, who was responsible for the release of thousands of pages of internal research documents, said Facebook is aware that it is used to spread hate, violence and misinformation, and that the company has tried to hide that evidence.
“The thing I saw at Facebook over and over again was there were conflicts of interest between what was good for the public and what was good for Facebook, and Facebook over and over again chose to optimize for its own interests, like making more money,” Haugen told “60 Minutes,” after making her identity known.
Haugen worked on civic integrity issues while at Facebook, and believes the company’s inaction was largely responsible for the Jan. 6 riot. She said the social media platform has denied results of its own internal research that shows how harmful the platform has become.
Facebook has come under fire since the release of the documents, and will be facing Senate Committee on Tuesday.
Why does it matter?
Was it just a coincidence that all these are happening at the same time? Or could it be that some people are taking it upon themselves to out Facebook and its subsidiaries on behalf of goodness or some other reasons? The total outage has been the worst suffered by the social media apps since 2008, which suggests that there could be more to it than “mercury in retrograde.”
Instagram employees told CNBC that the outage is the whistle-blower’s karma.
Facebook has been at the center of the debate to break up big tech companies. The debate has been based on the perception that the big tech has acquired so much power, and has been using it to get away with antitrust issues. Now it’s shifting to the weight of immoral influence the companies, especially Facebook, are exerting on users.
It is not yet clear what exactly brought the long outage as the platforms have issued no explanation, what is clear is that Facebook has come under attack like never before in its history.