Tech

Global outage: why do websites keep going down?

Published

4 years ago

July 23, 2021

William Howard

This is happening so often now it’s become a trend – a number of popular websites around the world were taken offline just hours ago after a major outage

Affected sites include Airbnb, UPS, HSBC, British Airways and Playstation – with visitors to the sites being greeted with a “DNS error message”.

Although some pages in Europe and the US seemed to be accessible again, others in the Asia-Pacific region remained offline for a longer period.

DNS service provider, Akamai has taken responsibility for the issue and tweeted that “the service is now resuming normal operations”.

This is the second outage of its kind in two months – with consumers questioning whether similar issues will become more and more prevalent.

Are we seeing outages more often?

In June, we saw internet service provider Fastly go down, taking a large number of popular websites offline.

The websites who went offline included Reddit, Spotify, Twitch, Stack Overflow, GitHub, gov.uk, Hulu, HBO Max, Quora, PayPal, Vimeo, Shopify, Stripe, and news outlets CNN, The Guardian, The New York Times, BBC and Financial Times.

Attempts to access the Financial Times website turned up a similar message while visits to the New York Times and U.K. government’s gov.uk site returned an “Error 503 Service Unavailable” message, along with the line “Varnish cache server,” which is a technology that Fastly is built on.

Issues are popping up more frequently when it comes to outages, so is it of concern to users?

The outages, while temporary, are raising concerns about the number of websites that rely on just a few content delivery networks like Fastly and Akamai, creating a more fragile internet ecosystem.

Related Topics:cyber Featured hack website website down

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William Howard

William is an Executive News Producer at TICKER NEWS, responsible for the production and direction of news bulletins. William is also the presenter of the hourly Weather + Climate segment. With qualifications in Journalism and Law (LLB), William previously worked at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) before moving to TICKER NEWS. He was also an intern at the Seven Network's 'Sunrise'. A creative-minded individual, William has a passion for broadcast journalism and reporting on global politics and international affairs.

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Tech

Nvidia to build AI supercomputers in the U.S. for first time

Nvidia invests $500 billion in U.S. AI supercomputers, shifting production to Texas to strengthen supply chains and boost domestic growth amid rising tariffs and national tech pressures.

Published

2 days ago

April 18, 2025

Veronica Dudo

Nvidia invests $500 billion in U.S. AI supercomputers, shifting production to Texas to strengthen supply chains and boost domestic growth amid rising tariffs and national tech pressures.

Nvidia to build AI supercomputers in the U.S. for the first time — a $500 billion move that could redefine the global tech industry.

With new tariffs on imports from China and Taiwan, the chip giant is shifting production to Texas, partnering with Foxconn and Wistron.

Nvidia says the decision will strengthen its supply chain and boost domestic economic growth.

The announcement comes amid growing pressure to secure national tech infrastructure and reduce reliance on Asia. How will this impact jobs, prices, and America’s AI ambitions?

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Tech

‘Stuck in the past’: Has Apple lost its edge?

Apple, once an innovator, faces criticism for stale updates and designs, prompting comparisons to 1980s IBM and calls for Tim Cook’s departure.

Published

4 days ago

April 16, 2025

Ahron Young

Apple, once an innovator, faces criticism for stale updates and designs, prompting comparisons to 1980s IBM and calls for Tim Cook’s departure.

Apple, once a symbol of innovation, is now under fire for uninspiring product updates.

The headline “Has Apple lost its edge? Critics say it’s stuck in the past” captures growing frustration over recycled designs and underwhelming features.

From the original iPhone to the lacklustre Apple Intelligence, critics now compare the company to IBM in the 1980s. Is it time for Tim Cook to step aside?

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#Apple #TimCook #TechNews #iPhone #AppleIntelligence #Innovation #BradGastwirth #TechDebate

Tech

OpenAI explores social network to rival Elon Musk

OpenAI is considering a social network to rival Musk’s X, spurred by the success of its new image-generation feature.

Published

4 days ago

April 16, 2025

Ahron Young

OpenAI is considering a social network to rival Musk’s X, spurred by the success of its new image-generation feature.

In Short

OpenAI is considering creating a social network to compete with Elon Musk’s X and Meta’s Instagram, following high demand for its new image-generation tool.

The company has raised $40 billion in funding and is facing increased server demands, prompting efforts to temporarily limit the tool’s usage.

OpenAI is contemplating the development of a social network to rival Elon Musk’s X and Meta’s Instagram, according to an informed source.

This initiative is reportedly in the early stages and has emerged following the success of OpenAI’s latest image-generation tool, which has stressed the company’s servers.

The announcement was first reported by The Verge, while OpenAI has chosen not to comment on the matter.

Image-generation

In March, OpenAI launched its new image-generation feature designed to create various visual content, including diagrams, infographics, and logos. This tool also enables users to produce artistic renditions from their uploaded images.

Recently, images generated by this feature have gained significant traction on social media, with OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman recently using one for his profile photo on X. Altman noted the overwhelming popularity has led to increased server demands.

He mentioned that the company is currently looking to limit the feature’s usage temporarily while they enhance its efficiency.

The generative AI sector is highly competitive, particularly with the involvement of Musk’s xAI, which recently acquired X. The relationship between Altman and Musk has become contentious, particularly surrounding OpenAI’s move to become a for-profit entity.