Some of the world’s biggest websites including Facebook, Instagram and Etsy have been down for several hours, with the messaging app WhatsApp also facing issues.
The outages are thought to all be linked, though Facebook hasn’t yet been announced exactly what the cause is.
However, Facebook did release a statement confirming that it wasn’t a malicious attack on the sites.
They said, ‘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.
‘We’re focused on working to resolve the issue as soon as possible, but can confirm that the issue is not related to a DDoS attack.’
We're focused on working to resolve the issue as soon as possible, but can confirm that the issue is not related to a DDoS attack.
— Meta (@Meta) March 13, 2019
People have been unable to post on Facebook and many others have had issues with logging in and accessing the sites at all.
It’s not yet known when they will be back up and running as normal, though The Independent reports that many users have reported getting an error message that reads, ‘Facebook is down for required maintenance right now, but you should be able to get back on within a few minutes.
‘In the meantime, read more about why you’re seeing this message. Thanks for your patience as we improve the site.’
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