Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and other Meta services were reportedly down for about an hour, as several users complained that they were automatically logged out of the platforms.
The issue was confirmed by Downdetector.ph, which saw a huge spike of reports on March 5, 11:30 PM PHT. Over 107,000 people reported they were unable to log in to the social media platform. Meanwhile, almost 10,000 people complained of similar incidents with Messenger and around 1,800 with Instagram. Users also reported problems with Threads and WhatsApp.
“We’re aware people are having trouble accessing our services. We are working on this now,” wrote a spokesperson on X, formerly Twitter.
Curiously, a quick look at Down Detector showed several other services went down, not just Meta ones, including Gmail, Google, Discord, TikTok, and YouTube, among several others.
The outage comes as submarine cables in the Red Sea were reportedly damaged, which is affecting internet traffic in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.
The internet relies on underwater cables that span the oceans, connecting continents and countries. These cables are vulnerable to natural disasters and other hazards. For example, a 2006 earthquake in Taiwan severed several cables and disrupted internet services across Asia.
At the time of writing, Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger are already working in the Philippines. Although it’s unclear if it’s the same in other regions.
Image: Unsplash
