logo
episode-header-image
Oct 2021
19m 54s

When Facebook went dark

Al Jazeera
About this episode

For six hours on October 4, Facebook, Instagram, and Whatsapp, all owned by the same parent company, were inaccessible to the 3.5 billion people who use them. The outage exposed just how extensive Facebook’s communications empire is, and left people wondering if it’s a monopoly that needs to be broken up.

Up next
Today
Famine has been declared in Gaza. Will anything change?
Famine has been declared in Gaza City and surrounding areas, with more than half a million Palestinians facing “catastrophic conditions,” according to a UN-backed monitor. As Israel advances its plan to seize Gaza City, what scars will famine leave on Palestinians for generations ... Show More
20m 34s
Yesterday
How did Lula da Silva cut Amazon deforestation in half?
When Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva took office more than a year ago, he pledged to end deforestation in the Amazon by 2030. He’s on the right track: Last year, the forest shrank 50% less than in 2022. But the clock is ticking. Will Lula manage to keep his word? Th ... Show More
23m 12s
Aug 23
Another Take: Why hasn't Pakistan recovered from its catastrophic floods?
Every Saturday, we revisit a story from the archives. This originally aired on February 22, 2023. None of the dates, titles, or other references from that time have been changed. Pakistan is still reeling from 2022’s deadly floods, which put a third of the country underwater. Tho ... Show More
20m 45s
Recommended Episodes
Oct 2021
Has Facebook become too big to face proper scrutiny?
For nearly seven hours on Monday, billions of people around the world couldn't use Facebook, Instagram or WhatsApp to communicate. Facebook blamed a technical glitch for one of its worst outages in years. What does this say about our reliance on social media? And has Facebook bec ... Show More
21m 41s
May 2024
We're Watching Facebook Die
For three years, Facebook's monthly active users have been declining dramatically, with Facebook.com losing 397 million unique monthly visitors since May 2021. In this episode, Ed Zitron walks you through how Mark Zuckerberg's abominable growth-at-all-costs mindset has turned Fac ... Show More
37m 29s
Nov 2022
Watching Facebook Burn
For almost two decades, Facebook has dominated headlines and the lives of its users. It’s been blamed for genocides, pointed to as a vector of disinformation, and depressed you as you scrolled past high school acquaintances that seem to be doing so much better than you.  But now ... Show More
47m 49s
Mar 2019
Facebook says it’s all about privacy now. OK, sure.
Kara and Scott are back! They talk about Zuckerberg's supposed shift towards more privacy on Facebook and, well, we'll believe it when we see it. Meanwhile Congress is ramping up its efforts on shaking up how we think of antitrust and big tech companies. They get into what they e ... Show More
36m 22s
Feb 2024
20 ans après, Facebook a-t-il vraiment changé nos vies?
 Les excuses du patron de Facebook, 20 ans après la création du réseau social. Devant le Sénat américain, Mark Zuckerberg, interpellé sur les dangers des réseaux sociaux pour les enfants et les ados, s'est excusé auprès des victimes des dérives de Facebook. Lors de l'audition, él ... Show More
17m 11s
Sep 2021
Facebook's Content Moderators Are Leaving Their Jobs With PTSD
If you’re on Facebook then there’s a company you’ve probably never heard of that makes it bearable. Accenture. The little-known consulting firm is one of the biggest companies in the booming market of content moderation. But you’ll probably never hear its name come out of the lip ... Show More
39m 46s
Mar 2022
Tech News: Facebook Locks Out Users
In an effort to protect high-profile Facebook users, Facebook locked those users out of their own accounts. Sort of. Plus news about Google, Tesla and how the US SEC wants to hold companies accountable for greenhouse gas emissions. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informat ... Show More
32m 8s