Outage Affects Facebook, Instagram, and Other Social Media Platforms

On March 5, users of Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, WhatsApp, TikTok, and other messaging and social media platforms reported difficulties accessing the applications. 

The issue affected residents of Russia, Ukraine, major cities in the United States, and Asia.

Specifically, Facebook logged users out and denied account access, citing allegedly incorrect passwords. Instagram’s feed failed to refresh, and YouTube also experienced periodic errors. Telegram users reported issues with channel updates, media uploads, and message sending.

The exact causes remain unknown. 

Earlier, Hong Kong-based company HGC Global Communications Limited announced that four out of approximately fifteen submarine telecommunications cables in the Red Sea, connecting Europe, Asia, and Africa, were severed. These cables account for 25% of the region’s traffic.

The company described the affected routes as crucial for data transmission from Asia to Europe.

Preliminary analysis indicated that the damaged cable segments are located in the southern Red Sea, under Yemeni jurisdiction. HGC did not specify how or by whom they were damaged.

Back on February 27, a major disruption in messenger services occurred in Russia due to Roskomnadzor configuring equipment to block prohibited resources.