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Explainer: Why did Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp go down yesterday?

The platforms were down for around six hours yesterday.

FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM AND WhatsApp went down yesterday after they were hit by a major outage, leaving millions of users around the world unable to access the social media platforms. 

The outage lasted for around six hours, rendering the platforms inaccessible and preventing Facebook employees from gaining access to buildings after their digital badges stopped working. 

Users were eventually able to access Facebook and Instagram from late on Monday evening, while WhatsApp said its services were “back and running at 100%” as of 3.30am last night.  

What happened?

Facebook has blamed a “faulty configuration change” for the widespread outage.

In a statement, the company said: “Our engineering teams have learned that configuration changes on the backbone routers that coordinate network traffic between our data centers caused issues that interrupted this communication.”

“This disruption to network traffic had a cascading effect on the way our data centers communicate, bringing our services to a halt,” it said. 

The “backbone routers” referred to here are known as Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) routers. 

The internet is made up of connected networks which host an enormous amount of data. Essentially, BGP acts as a roadmap for all of this data, allowing people to navigate these networks and help them to find the website they want and the quickest route to it. 

In Facebook’s case, the “faulty configuration change” took away the roadmap that tells people how to find the site, telling BGP that the route to access Facebook no longer existed and making it unavailable to users. 

Not only did this affect Facebook itself, but everything Facebook runs, meaning the roadmap to Instagram and WhatsApp didn’t exist either. 

How did they fix it?

The matter seems to have been made more complicated due to the fact that Facebook’s own internal systems were affected by the outage. 

This left staff unable to access the network remotely, with staff being locked out of offices after their badges stopped working.

According to The New York Times, the platform eventually restored service after a technical team got access to its server computers at a data center in Santa Clara, California.  

It is believed they had to manually reset the servers where the problem originated.

What impact did it have?

The impact of the outage was felt globally. 

Facebook has roughly 2.89 billion active users, making it the biggest social network in the world. 

Not only is it used for communication purposes, but it’s also used for business. 

“With Facebook being down we’re losing thousands in sales,” Irish business owner Mark Donnelly told The New York Times

“It may not sound like a lot to others, but missing out on four or five hours of sales could be the difference between paying the electricity bill or rent for the month.”

As of July, WhatsApp is the most popular messaging app in the world with around two billion monthly active users, outranking Facebook Messenger at 1.3 billion. 

It is Ireland’s main messaging service, with around 80% of adults using the app. 

WhatsApp also has a business edition of the app, used by over five million businesses worldwide. 

Photo sharing app Instagram gets around one billion monthly active users, and is also used by individuals and small businesses for trade.

The app is especially popular in India and in the United States, which have respectively 180 million and 170 million Instagram users each.

In January, there were over 2.2 million Instagram users in Ireland. 

Could it happen again?

In short, yes.

There is no reason that this sort of outage couldn’t happen again. In fact, this is not the first time Facebook has suffered a major outage. 

In 2019, the platform and its other apps were left mostly inaccessible for about two hours before they gradually returned online. 

The company also blamed this outage on a “server configuration change”. 

Is the timing suspicious?

There has been much speculation about the timing of the outage.

Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen is set to appear before US congress today after leaking thousands of documents to the Wall Street Journal.

Haugen, a former product manager on Facebook’s civic misinformation team, has said the platform prioritises its own interests over the public good.

She also claimed it off safeguards designed to thwart misinformation after Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump in last year’s elections, contributing to the invasion of the US Capitol on 6 January.

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    Mute tom
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    Jan 9th 2017, 11:51 PM

    Shane Rose is a well spoken idiot. Want to reduce drink driving have more checkpoints where they are most effective out side pub car park at closing times. Not on M50 at 9pm Want to reduce drink drinking enforce the current laws

    153
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    Mute Stephen kelleher
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    Jan 10th 2017, 12:08 AM

    This country is a joke…..name and shame people for drink driving but the builders and developers who live in our locality who went into Nama but kept their holiday homes and houses in their spouses names were allowed to remain anonymous for commercial reasons and are now back in business while innocent hard working people are being crucified for making the mistake of trying to buy a house and contributing to society…poor fools us…

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    Mute sparky
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    Jan 9th 2017, 11:53 PM

    “Named n shamed” really depends on how much over the legal limit they are…name n shame people caught on their mobile phones.. sometimes the morning after is just an honest mistake.

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    Mute Rochelle
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    Jan 10th 2017, 12:21 AM

    An honest mistake? It’s careless and endangers lives. The information of the morning after effect has been out there for years, there’s no excuse. If you’ve ever used the home kit you’ll know as well that it’s not easy to be over the limit the morning after. Those who drink an extreme amount or end their session at 4am on a work night should not be protected from the consequences.

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    Mute sparky
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    Jan 10th 2017, 12:51 AM

    Rochelle. You might want to provide me with a link as to someone who was just over the legal limit the morning after that has been involved in a fatal accident; how many people drive with a thousand problems on their minds, their mind is anywhere but on the road, as for the people that drink excessively till 4 in the morning read my previous comment slowly.

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    Mute Martin Critten
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    Jan 10th 2017, 7:39 AM

    Again as a risk assessment 2 billion road journeys made each against infinitesimal outcomes.. chances of being involved in an accident 2 billion to 159. As usual the fear industry is in force.

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    Mute Jack Bowden
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    Jan 9th 2017, 11:51 PM

    People like to know other people’s business and to gossip. The poll results aren’t surprising.

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    Mute Suzie Sunshine
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    Jan 9th 2017, 11:54 PM

    And what if the person has school going kids ? Is it fair on them that they have to go through the shame and embarrasment in school aswell ?

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    Mute Les Behan
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    Jan 10th 2017, 12:18 AM

    @Suzie Sunshine: No it’s not fair but some might see it as an extra incentive not to drink and drive.

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    Mute Rochelle
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    Jan 10th 2017, 12:24 AM

    The child should feel deep embarrassment at the actions of their parents regardless of whether their classmates know as well. It may be an aid for the teacher as well as an indication that the child is coming from a troubled household and requires special attention.

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    Mute Suzie Sunshine
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    Jan 10th 2017, 12:31 AM

    Rochelle, a child should never fall the victim of their parents actions .. it’s not the child’s fault .someone driving after a few drinks is not a sign that the child comes from a troubled household either .

    54
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    Mute Colm Moynihan
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    Jan 10th 2017, 2:35 AM

    @ rochelle. Holy shit can you see us from all the way up there?

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    Mute Declan Moran
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    Jan 9th 2017, 11:44 PM

    The limit should be zero and that’s it. Too many innocent people being killed.

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    Mute Colm Moynihan
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    Jan 10th 2017, 2:44 AM

    Couldn’t enjoy the sherry trifle on Christmas day then though. And what about the priests and their alter wine on a Sunday?

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    Mute Bo Cianuro
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    Jan 10th 2017, 3:26 AM

    @Declan Moran:
    derp… it can never be ”zero”, now google why.. :) or hurry back with a crate of ad-homs. :|

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    Mute Aoife Dooley
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    Jan 10th 2017, 7:59 AM

    The people within the current limits aren’t causing the accidents. There are people who will ignore limits and drink to excess and drive. Why penalise those who are not a risk to the public?? It won’t make the roads any safer.

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    Mute Frederick Higginbottom
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    Jan 10th 2017, 12:36 AM

    I may be expecting too much from the minister but there’s no empirical evidence proving people in the 0.02 to 0.05 BAC range are causing accidents or fatalities. In fact a coroner doctor in Donegal a few years ago reported most fatalities were many multiples of the old limit 0.08 BAC. This looks like a case of being seen to do something, rather than effective government policy. Enforcement of the current limits would produce far more effective results rather than lowering an already very low limit.

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    Mute Niall Gavin
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    Jan 9th 2017, 11:46 PM

    Publicly shamed? Absolutely not. That won’t help.

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    Mute CarmelOh
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    Jan 10th 2017, 12:37 AM

    I had a fair few drinks the other night and didn’t risk driving until after 4pm the next day.

    I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I caused an accident by being over the limit.

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    Mute Les Behan
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    Jan 9th 2017, 11:39 PM

    I agree with this fully, name and shame them. There is another point when the issue of road safety comes up that is never discussed and that is the state of some of the roads.

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    Mute Val Martin
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    Jan 10th 2017, 3:05 AM

    @Les Behan: Another drastic suggestion which is guaranteed to work is to ban all road vehicle traffic from public roads.

    Back to bikes and the horse and cart

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    Mute Tony Daly
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    Jan 10th 2017, 12:07 AM

    Are the people who are irresponsible enough to drive when over the limit the kind if people who will be deterred by the risk of being named and shamed? If so, press ahead but, if not, it just seems an additional but very mild punishment.

    I favour designing a control mechanism which prevents a car from being driven if the driver is over the limit. It can be done but would require the motor manufacturers to agree.

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    Mute Suzie Sunshine
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    Jan 10th 2017, 12:43 AM

    Tony .. how would that work ?

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    Mute Colm Moynihan
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    Jan 10th 2017, 2:39 AM

    Breathalyser system in the car that won’t allow the car to start if you fail it. Think they have something like this in place in Oz for people who have been previously convicted of drink driving

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    Mute Suzie Sunshine
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    Jan 10th 2017, 7:59 AM

    Colm; thanks for that ..

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    Mute Brendan Mason
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    Jan 10th 2017, 12:17 AM

    Name and shame the politicians only. Their votes may depend on it. Nanny state.

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    Mute Niall Gavin
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    Jan 9th 2017, 11:44 PM

    Shame? That won’t help.

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    Mute Val Martin
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    Jan 10th 2017, 1:41 AM

    The word name in the Oxford dictionary means = A word or set of words by which a person or thing is known, addressed, or referred to: The word shame mean =A painful feeling of humiliation or distress caused by the consciousness of wrong or foolish behaviour: The government is limited by the constitution. Drink driving is a summary offence, not triable on indictment. Maximun penalty is 2 years in jail and disqualification from holding a driving licence.

    Shame cannot be felt by anyone other than the culprit, it cannot be felt by anyone else. It is at the discretion of the feeler whether he or she feels shame or not. Government cannot induce shame in another person, there is no legal term for it. Now will youse all give me a thumps down to demonstrate how ignorant youse all are and feck off out of my way.

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    Mute bings
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    Jan 10th 2017, 7:26 AM

    How do the TD & gov officials who leave the dail bar after a few scoops get home.

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    Mute mad_fluffy
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    Jan 10th 2017, 8:50 AM

    Completely mad.. where is all this rubbish going to stop .. why don’t we name n shame people who have penalty points. .who don’t have a TV licence.. grow up.

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    Mute Claire
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    Jan 10th 2017, 8:07 AM

    Naming and shaming is not going to make any difference, it’s more of Shane Ross BS, but it’s easier come up with these big ideas than enforce the law that’s already there.

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    Mute Do the Bort man
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    Jan 10th 2017, 8:33 AM

    The current limits are fine, just needs more enforcement

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    Mute Irish big fellow
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    Jan 10th 2017, 2:21 PM

    Great idea about the public access to database of photographs of persons convicted of a crime, irrespective of the nature of it. Leave it accessible for 5 years. This would sober up a lot of people at very little cost to the taxpayer.

    3
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