On December 11, 2024, a significant outage disrupted Meta\’s flagship platforms—Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp—affecting millions of users worldwide. The issue began around 1 p.m. Eastern Time, with users reporting widespread problems accessing the services.
Scope of the Outage
According to DownDetector.com, over 96,000 Facebook users reported difficulties, while Instagram and WhatsApp saw more than 69,000 and 12,000 complaints, respectively. Users encountered issues with loading feeds, sending messages, and logging into their accounts.
Global Impact
The outage had a widespread impact, affecting users across North America, Europe, Asia, Australia, and South America. Cities such as New York, Boston, Los Angeles, and San Francisco reported a significant number of disruptions, reflecting the global scale of the problem.
Meta\’s Response
Meta Platforms addressed the issue through a post on X (formerly Twitter), stating:
\”We’re aware that a technical issue is impacting some users’ ability to access our apps. We’re working to get things back to normal as quickly as possible and apologize for any inconvenience.\”
Historical Context of Meta Outages
This event is reminiscent of past outages faced by Meta. In October 2021, Meta platforms went offline globally for nearly six hours due to a configuration error. Similarly, in March 2024, Facebook and Instagram were inaccessible for over two hours due to technical malfunctions. These incidents highlight the challenges of managing services that connect billions of users worldwide.
User Reactions
During the downtime, users turned to alternative platforms like X and Telegram to share their frustrations and updates. Many took a humorous approach, with memes and commentary on Meta\’s predicament trending on these platforms.
Ongoing Investigations
Meta\’s engineering teams are currently investigating the root cause of the outage. While services have resumed for some users, the company is working diligently to restore full functionality. Users are encouraged to monitor Meta’s official channels for updates on the situation.
Sources:
- New York Post: Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp are down in major Meta outage
- The Sun: Meta DOWN – platform hit by global outage as thousands of users report Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp issues
- BBC News: WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook apps hit by outage
