Social media platform X, formerly Twitter, encountered a significant global outage lasting slightly over an hour, affecting users across the US, UK, and Asia. The disruption was marked by access issues for over 47,000 US users on both X and X Pro, as reported by Downdetector.com, a service monitoring outages by aggregating status reports. Users in the UK and Asia found themselves unable to view posts, greeted by a message displaying, “Welcome to X!”
Owned by Elon Musk, X has yet to offer comments on the incident. Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter for $44 billion (£35 billion) in the previous year has brought forth a series of challenges, including a decline in advertising revenue and allegations of allowing antisemitic posts alongside advertisements.
In response to the outage, the hashtag #TwitterDown swiftly trended on social media platforms, reflecting the concerns of users. Despite the widespread disruption, access to the platform was restored relatively quickly, with users regaining entry just over an hour later.
Elon Musk’s stewardship of X has intensified scrutiny and legal challenges. The platform recently initiated legal action against Media Matters for America, a left-leaning pressure group, countering accusations of permitting antisemitic content in proximity to advertisements. Elon Musk staunchly defended X against departing advertisers, asserting that their exit could lead to the demise of the social media giant.
Beyond these adversities, X is now confronting allegations of spreading disinformation. The European Union has officially expressed suspicions that X might be violating its rules, particularly in areas related to combating illegal content and disinformation. As X navigates these challenges, the platform’s response to the ongoing issues and its efforts to address the allegations will likely remain under heightened scrutiny.
