More than 500,000 reports have inundated tracking website Downdetector, indicating a widespread outage across Meta's social media platforms, Facebook and Instagram, Euronews reports.
Users worldwide, including Central Asia, have encountered difficulties accessing their accounts, with issues ranging from login failures to complete unavailability of services.
Tracking Outages
Downdetector, a network tracking platform, aggregates reports from various sources to monitor service disruptions. The surge in reports suggests a significant impact on Meta's platforms globally.
Acknowledging the outage, Meta communications director Andy Stone assured users that the company is actively working to resolve the issue. However, Meta's own status page, typically providing updates on service status, remained inaccessible at the time of publication.
We're aware people are having trouble accessing our services. We are working on this now.
— Andy Stone (@andymstone) March 5, 2024
Political Ramifications
The outage coincides with the high-stakes "Super Tuesday" in the United States, potentially hindering political campaigning efforts reliant on social media outreach.
As the cause of the outage remains unclear, efforts to identify and rectify the underlying issue are underway.
Submarine Cable Damage Compounds Telecommunications Woes
In a separate incident, damage to submarine cables in the Red Sea has disrupted telecommunications networks, impacting a significant portion of internet traffic between Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.
Telecoms networks estimate a 25% reduction in traffic flow, necessitating rerouting measures to mitigate disruptions for customers and affected businesses.
While the exact cause of the cable damage remains undisclosed, concerns have been raised regarding potential targeting by Yemeni Houthi rebels, who have previously disrupted global supply chains through similar actions.
The Houthis have refuted accusations of involvement, instead attributing the damage to British and U.S. military activities in the area. However, both governments are yet to comment on the matter.
Several major cable systems, including Asia-Africa-Europe 1 and the Europe India Gateway, have been impacted, exacerbating the strain on global connectivity networks already grappling with the Meta outage.
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