FACEBOOK WEIGHS AD REFUNDS
Users unable to log into accounts, post comments or photos
FACEBOOK is undergoing one of its most widespread and persistent system outages, with users across the globe unable to access its social network and services from Instagram to Messenger for much of Wednesday.
From about noon local time, here, users encountered only partially loaded pages or no content at all, accompanied by a message saying an error had occurred.
Several brand marketers tweeted that Facebook’s ad-buying system was down as well. As of about 6.30pm, Facebook said it was still investigating the overall impact, “including the possibility of refunds for advertisers.”
Ad sales are the company’s lifeblood and persistent difficulties could be costly. Based on this year’s sales estimates, Facebook Inc is projected to generate average daily revenue of about US$189 million (RM773 million).
Reports on Downdetector, a website for reporting problems on applications and websites, have ranged from troubles logging into accounts to an inability to post comments or photos.
Regions affected include the New York area, parts of California and the Seattle region, according to Downdetector. Other problem locations include Japan, the Philippines, Peru and major cities in Australia.
Users cited snags not only with Facebook, but also photo-sharing site Instagram, messaging tools Messenger and Whatsapp and Oculus virtual reality devices. Instagram, however, resumed service shortly after midnight, the app tweeted from its official Twitter account.
Some users encountered a message indicating Facebook was down for maintenance.
“We’re aware that some people are currently having trouble accessing the Facebook family of apps. We’re working to resolve the issue as soon as possible,” said a Facebook spokesperson.