X Outages Affect Thousands: What You Need to Know | CNN Business

On Saturday morning, many users in the US faced trouble accessing X, formerly known as Twitter. Reports spiked on Downdetector.com, which monitors online outages, showing over 25,000 users affected by 8:26 a.m. ET. The issues weren’t limited to the US; thousands in the UK and other countries also reported problems.

Fortunately, by late morning, service was mostly restored, with reports dropping to around 690. However, these numbers might not tell the whole story as they only represent user-reported issues.

The root cause of the outage was a data center issue. According to X’s engineering team, there was a fire at a data center in Hillsboro, Oregon, which sparked many problems starting Thursday afternoon. While the initial outage was fixed, users still reported slow logins on Friday. The company confirmed on its developer platform that service was back but noted ongoing performance issues.

Elon Musk, who now owns X, acknowledged the situation on social media. He mentioned the need for major improvements to the platform’s operational failovers, implying that the recent issues were preventable. This isn’t the first time X has experienced significant outages. In March, the site fell victim to a massive cyberattack, raising concerns about its infrastructure.

Interestingly, X has around 250 million daily active users as of 2024. This figure highlights the scale of impact when outages occur. User reactions varied from frustration to humor on social media, showcasing the platform’s role in daily communication. People turned to alternatives to share their experiences or simply vent, emphasizing the site’s importance in our digital lives.

The recent troubles remind us how dependent we’ve become on digital platforms. A report from the Pew Research Center found that about 70% of American adults use some form of social media, underscoring the significance of reliable access. While X faced a rough patch, its resilience will be closely watched by millions of users.

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