On Monday, October 5, a massive blackout in Facebook services and its Instagram and WhatsApp platforms for at least six hours plunged people, communities and services into chaos and put families at risk, by being totally disconnected.
The impact is understandable:
there are almost 2.9 billion users on Facebook, 2 billion on WhatsApp, and 1 billion on Instagram.
"WhatsApp has really become a global phone number for many people," Ahmed Cruz, a technology expert, told Noticias Telemundo.
Although those who most felt the consequences were users from Latin America and immigrant communities, who are the ones who most use these social and messaging networks in their daily lives.
In Mexico alone, there are more than 80 million WhatsApp users, according to figures collected by Statista.com.
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The uses are endless, and so are the effects of the outage: making online sales, sending educational materials, scheduling medical and government appointments, coordinating office tasks, and providing security alerts.
Leidy Martinez reads the homework to her son, which she received on her phone, in Las Mayas, in Caracas, Venezuela.
During the pandemic, students receive their assignments, via WhatsApp to Facebook when schools are closed.Ariana Cubillos / AP
And in some cases, they are the only means of communication
.
“Where I live there is no cell phone signal.
The only form of communication is WhatsApp, ”said Michelle Villarreal, a fan of Noticias Telemundo, during the cut.
"Yesterday really showed small businesses and all of us how much control Facebook has for an online communications platform," Nidhi Hegde, strategy director for the US Economic Freedoms Project told NBC News.
Experts then point out the importance of antitrust laws, so that a company does not concentrate all communication channels, and to have alternatives.
Its influence on social, cultural and political life became apparent, at a time when the company is under public scrutiny.
Frances Haugen, a former employee, testified before the Senate that "Facebook products harm children, fuel division, weaken our democracy and much more."
And the company would be aware.
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There are an estimated 3 million businesses or startups around the world actively advertising on Facebook that were affected by the crash.
While thousands shared memes in a network still standing, such as Twitter, others suffered losses.
"I realize that people can joke that Facebook is gone, but we don't see it that way," said Sam Gibbs of Indianopolis, who supports his family by selling accessories on Facebook.
"We depend on it for a living," he remarked in an interview with NBC News.
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It is not only used for advertising: several companies were unable to make sales, receive payments and speak with users, customers and suppliers for six hours.
Users, meanwhile, had problems with everyday transactions such as ordering food.
In Mexico, the fall of Facebook services generated a cost of almost 13 million dollars (265 million Mexican pesos), according to an estimate by the cybersecurity company Netblocks.
The drop occurred while Facebook was facing precisely an antitrust lawsuit filed by the US Federal Trade Commission.
"The bottom line is that a monopoly shouldn't control such a crucial information infrastructure," Hegde summarized.
He recommended companies and businesses to have email lists, text messages and advertisements in other Internet forums.
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Families use WhatsApp every day to stay connected, give news and ask for help.
"I cannot communicate with my mother who is in another state or with my family in Latin America," Ingrid Suárez told Noticias Telemundo during the blackout.
Migrants in the United States use it to locate themselves or indicate places to sleep.
The groups alert when there is something suspicious or dangerous in a neighborhood, school or community.
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So many people rely on Facebook, WhatsApp or Instagram as their primary modes of communication that losing access for so long can make them vulnerable to criminals taking advantage, Rachel Tobac, hacker and CEO of SocialProof Security told The Associated Press. .
"They don't know how to get in touch with the people in their life without it," Tobac explained, warning that this makes them more susceptible to deception because they are desperate to communicate.
They warn about the increase in scams disguised as spam.
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During previous outages, some people have received emails promising to restore their social media account by clicking on a malicious link that can expose their personal data.
Experts recommend being alert to these false messages.
Other options to stay connected
It is recommended to keep an updated directory of telephone numbers and emails in order to continue communicating.
But there are also other alternatives in social networks and messaging, to which millions turned abruptly this Monday, such as Twitter, Telegram, Signal, TikTok and Snapchat.
In one day, the free messaging service Telegram added about 70 million users, according to the company.
"I am proud of the performance of our team in the face of the unprecedented growth of chat," said its director, Pavel Duróv, from the official channel on Telegram.
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There are other options similar to WhatsApp, less popular, such as Line, which allows you to send messages, photos and videos, WeChat, which also allows you to share moments, and Signal, which differs by its complete privacy and communication encryption.
