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% Facebook's Failure Shows Why We Shouldn't Rely on It for Everything GA S REGULAR Menu Lifewire Tech for Humans Newsletter! Search Close GO News &gt; Social Media <h1> Facebook&#39;s Failure Shows Why We Shouldn&#39;t Rely on It for Everything</h1> <h2> Big outages can’t be prevented, but you can prepare to lessen their impact</h2> By Rob Rich Rob Rich News Reporter College for Creative Studies Rob is a freelance tech reporter with experience writing for a variety of outlets, including IGN, Unwinnable, 148Apps, Gamezebo, Pocket Gamer, Fanbolt, Zam, and more.
Julia Zhang Member
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% Facebook's Failure Shows Why We Shouldn't Rely on It for Everything GA S REGULAR Menu Lifewire Tech for Humans Newsletter! Search Close GO News > Social Media

Facebook's Failure Shows Why We Shouldn't Rely on It for Everything

Big outages can’t be prevented, but you can prepare to lessen their impact

By Rob Rich Rob Rich News Reporter College for Creative Studies Rob is a freelance tech reporter with experience writing for a variety of outlets, including IGN, Unwinnable, 148Apps, Gamezebo, Pocket Gamer, Fanbolt, Zam, and more.
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Sebastian Silva 3 minutes ago
lifewire's editorial guidelines Published on October 6, 2021 03:36PM EDT Fact checked by Rich Scherr...
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lifewire's editorial guidelines Published on October 6, 2021 03:36PM EDT Fact checked by Rich Scherr Fact checked by Rich Scherr University of Maryland Baltimore County Rich Scherr is a seasoned technology and financial journalist who spent nearly two decades as the editor of Potomac and Bay Area Tech Wire. lifewire's fact checking process Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Social Media Mobile Phones Internet & Security Computers & Tablets Smart Life Home Theater & Entertainment Software & Apps Social Media Streaming Gaming <h3> Key Takeaways</h3> Facebook&#39;s technical troubles were unfortunate, but the problem would likely have been resolved much faster if it didn&#39;t rely on so many interconnected systems.There&#39;s no way to prevent system failures completely, but there are ways to make them less likely.Having backup plans for when (not if, when) a system fails can make the difference between &#39;annoying&#39; and &#39;catastrophic.&#39; fongfong2 / Getty Images The recent Facebook debacle demonstrates how interconnected systems are bound to fail and why we shouldn&#39;t use them for everything. Losing Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram for several hours on Monday was inconvenient, damaging to businesses, and in some cases, almost catastrophic.
Nathan Chen Member
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lifewire's editorial guidelines Published on October 6, 2021 03:36PM EDT Fact checked by Rich Scherr Fact checked by Rich Scherr University of Maryland Baltimore County Rich Scherr is a seasoned technology and financial journalist who spent nearly two decades as the editor of Potomac and Bay Area Tech Wire. lifewire's fact checking process Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Social Media Mobile Phones Internet & Security Computers & Tablets Smart Life Home Theater & Entertainment Software & Apps Social Media Streaming Gaming

Key Takeaways

Facebook's technical troubles were unfortunate, but the problem would likely have been resolved much faster if it didn't rely on so many interconnected systems.There's no way to prevent system failures completely, but there are ways to make them less likely.Having backup plans for when (not if, when) a system fails can make the difference between 'annoying' and 'catastrophic.' fongfong2 / Getty Images The recent Facebook debacle demonstrates how interconnected systems are bound to fail and why we shouldn't use them for everything. Losing Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram for several hours on Monday was inconvenient, damaging to businesses, and in some cases, almost catastrophic.
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Oliver Taylor 4 minutes ago
According to Facebook, it was all due to configuration changes to its network coordinating routers. ...
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Brandon Kumar 8 minutes ago
One wrong router config change caused multiple services, and even VR headsets, to stop working entir...
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According to Facebook, it was all due to configuration changes to its network coordinating routers. It&#39;s a reasonable explanation, but the fact that a single error like that could bring not just Facebook but other Facebook-owned systems grinding to a halt is a bit alarming.
Daniel Kumar Member
access_time 12 minutes ago
According to Facebook, it was all due to configuration changes to its network coordinating routers. It's a reasonable explanation, but the fact that a single error like that could bring not just Facebook but other Facebook-owned systems grinding to a halt is a bit alarming.
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Sofia Garcia 3 minutes ago
One wrong router config change caused multiple services, and even VR headsets, to stop working entir...
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Lucas Martinez 6 minutes ago
"The reliance on interconnected systems does carry with it an inherent risk of system or even servic...
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One wrong router config change caused multiple services, and even VR headsets, to stop working entirely. On top of that, by Facebook&#39;s own admission, it also had a cascading effect on how the company&#39;s data centers communicate, bringing all their services to a halt.
William Brown Member
access_time 20 minutes ago
One wrong router config change caused multiple services, and even VR headsets, to stop working entirely. On top of that, by Facebook's own admission, it also had a cascading effect on how the company's data centers communicate, bringing all their services to a halt.
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Sebastian Silva 11 minutes ago
"The reliance on interconnected systems does carry with it an inherent risk of system or even servic...
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Emma Wilson 12 minutes ago
Most companies take steps to try and ensure that the one thing that could throw everything into chao...
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"The reliance on interconnected systems does carry with it an inherent risk of system or even service failure," said Francesco Altomare, senior technical sales engineer at GlobalDots, in an email interview with Lifewire, &#34;To counter this daunting risk, companies utilize the principle of SRE (System Reliability Engineering), as well as other tools, which all deal with varying levels of redundancy built into every layer of a system&#39;s infrastructure.&#34; Timothy Hales Bennett / Unsplash <h2> What Can Go Wrong </h2> It&#39;s worth noting that when a system like that fails, it usually requires a perfect storm of things going wrong. It&#39;s less like a house of cards waiting to fall and more like an exposed thermal exhaust port on a space station the size of a small moon.
Grace Liu Member
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"The reliance on interconnected systems does carry with it an inherent risk of system or even service failure," said Francesco Altomare, senior technical sales engineer at GlobalDots, in an email interview with Lifewire, "To counter this daunting risk, companies utilize the principle of SRE (System Reliability Engineering), as well as other tools, which all deal with varying levels of redundancy built into every layer of a system's infrastructure." Timothy Hales Bennett / Unsplash

What Can Go Wrong

It's worth noting that when a system like that fails, it usually requires a perfect storm of things going wrong. It's less like a house of cards waiting to fall and more like an exposed thermal exhaust port on a space station the size of a small moon.
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Jack Thompson 12 minutes ago
Most companies take steps to try and ensure that the one thing that could throw everything into chao...
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Jack Thompson 13 minutes ago
If the system that controls things like primary forms of contact, appliances, doors, etc., fails, th...
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Most companies take steps to try and ensure that the one thing that could throw everything into chaos never happens—but regardless, it can happen. "Unexpected failures are a part of business and could arise as a result of worker negligence, faults in internet service provider's network, or even cloud storage services undergoing issues," said Sally Stevens, co-founder of FastPeopleSearch, in an email interview. &#34;...As long as the necessary steps to protect the system—such as backups, on-site router, and tiered access—are put in place, these failures are quite unlikely.&#34; Though even with an army of fail-safes, it&#39;s still possible for the lynchpin to fail.
Christopher Lee Member
access_time 6 minutes ago
Most companies take steps to try and ensure that the one thing that could throw everything into chaos never happens—but regardless, it can happen. "Unexpected failures are a part of business and could arise as a result of worker negligence, faults in internet service provider's network, or even cloud storage services undergoing issues," said Sally Stevens, co-founder of FastPeopleSearch, in an email interview. "...As long as the necessary steps to protect the system—such as backups, on-site router, and tiered access—are put in place, these failures are quite unlikely." Though even with an army of fail-safes, it's still possible for the lynchpin to fail.
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Christopher Lee 2 minutes ago
If the system that controls things like primary forms of contact, appliances, doors, etc., fails, th...
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If the system that controls things like primary forms of contact, appliances, doors, etc., fails, the results can be significant. From mild inconvenience to full-on catastrophic, depending on how much individuals and companies rely on it all. Hinterhaus Productions / Getty Images &#34;There is also the risk of hackers getting into the system from any of the least protected devices, such as refrigerators and oven toasters,&#34; added Stevens, &#34;which could lead to data theft and ransomware.&#34; <h2> How We Can Prepare </h2> There&#39;s no way to guarantee that a system will never fail, but there are steps that can be taken to either make failure less likely or to address failure more smoothly.
Chloe Santos Moderator
access_time 7 minutes ago
If the system that controls things like primary forms of contact, appliances, doors, etc., fails, the results can be significant. From mild inconvenience to full-on catastrophic, depending on how much individuals and companies rely on it all. Hinterhaus Productions / Getty Images "There is also the risk of hackers getting into the system from any of the least protected devices, such as refrigerators and oven toasters," added Stevens, "which could lead to data theft and ransomware."

How We Can Prepare

There's no way to guarantee that a system will never fail, but there are steps that can be taken to either make failure less likely or to address failure more smoothly.
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A combination of the two approaches that marries fail-safes and countermeasures with contingency plans and backup systems would be ideal. "For eliminating these hazards created by third-party products and services that are effectively handled, roles and duties regarding Third-Party Risk Management must be strictly outlined," said Daniela Sawyer, founder and chief technology officer of FindPeopleFast, in an email interview, "To flourish in these new surroundings, risk managers must grasp the essential parts of such a sophisticated ecosystem." What happened with Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram was unfortunate, but also hopefully eye-opening.
Grace Liu Member
access_time 32 minutes ago
A combination of the two approaches that marries fail-safes and countermeasures with contingency plans and backup systems would be ideal. "For eliminating these hazards created by third-party products and services that are effectively handled, roles and duties regarding Third-Party Risk Management must be strictly outlined," said Daniela Sawyer, founder and chief technology officer of FindPeopleFast, in an email interview, "To flourish in these new surroundings, risk managers must grasp the essential parts of such a sophisticated ecosystem." What happened with Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram was unfortunate, but also hopefully eye-opening.
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Nathan Chen 30 minutes ago
People who rely on interconnected systems must understand that the right thing going wrong can disru...
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Sophia Chen 16 minutes ago
Thus, with Facebook (the service) down, Facebook (the company) had to spend much more time and energ...
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People who rely on interconnected systems must understand that the right thing going wrong can disrupt everything. And measures must be put in place (or scrutinized and refined) to make such disruptions less likely and less impactful. In Facebook&#39;s case, its problem wasn&#39;t the router troubles, but rather having almost its entire ecosystem connected to everything else.
Henry Schmidt Member
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People who rely on interconnected systems must understand that the right thing going wrong can disrupt everything. And measures must be put in place (or scrutinized and refined) to make such disruptions less likely and less impactful. In Facebook's case, its problem wasn't the router troubles, but rather having almost its entire ecosystem connected to everything else.
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David Cohen 7 minutes ago
Thus, with Facebook (the service) down, Facebook (the company) had to spend much more time and energ...
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Thus, with Facebook (the service) down, Facebook (the company) had to spend much more time and energy simply organizing and addressing the issue. If it either didn&#39;t use such a deep-rooted, interconnected system or had backup plans in place to deal with an outage like that, it likely would have taken far less time to fix.
Sophie Martin Member
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Thus, with Facebook (the service) down, Facebook (the company) had to spend much more time and energy simply organizing and addressing the issue. If it either didn't use such a deep-rooted, interconnected system or had backup plans in place to deal with an outage like that, it likely would have taken far less time to fix.
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A History of the Popular Messaging App The Meta Watch Is Dead: Here's What It Would've Been Why Components Fail and How to Identify Them The 9 Best Skype Interview Tips of 2022 Availability Concepts for Networks and Systems Why You Should Use Apple MFI Certified Lightning Cables Why All Social Networks Should Make Kids’ Accounts Private By Default EU Action Could Make Apple Pay More Useful How Robot Taxis Will Change Transportation Why the Internet Is Vulnerable to Outages How New Tech Could Make the Internet Cheaper and Quicker It May Get Harder for Companies to Capture Your Facial Recognition Data WhatsApp Will Restrict Features If You Don't Share Data Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies
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