FACEBOOK-owned social platforms, Instagram and WhatsApp, as well as Facebook Messenger, are currently down. The issue appears to be related to some sort of DNS problem affecting Facebook servers.
Facebook communications executive Andy Stone says “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 apologise for any inconvenience.”
Instagram.com is flashing a 5xx Server Error message, while the Facebook site merely tells us that something went wrong. WhatsApp is also flashing a 5xx Server Error message. The problem also appears to be affecting its virtual reality arm, Oculus. Users can load games they already have installed, and the browser works, but social features or installing new games do not work.
This comes at a time the social giant is facing a huge pressure, due to revelations that it deliberately enables misinformation and abusive behaviour online. Today, the whistle-blower behind Facebook leaks has been revealed, with more damning reports.
The whistle-blower, who handed a trove of documents to Congress, the Securities Exchange Commission, and The Wall Street Journal, appeared on 60 Minutes and revealed her identity. Frances Haugen, a former product manager in Facebook's now-disbanded Civic Integrity Unit, said things were “substantially worse at Facebook than anything I'd seen before”. Her goal, in coming forward, is to “fix the company, not harm it”.
The most devastating revelation, however, is one that most people already knew – Facebook's biggest problem is its founder and chief executive Mark Zuckerberg.
This is a developing story