What today links Gmail, Google Drive, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram – apart from being run by monopolistic personal data harvesters? Both Google and Facebook suffered outages Wednesday, with the Chocolate Factory leading the way and seemingly fixing its issues just as Zuck's network became decidedly antisocial. On Wednesday morning, around 0800 Pacific Time (1500 UTC), Google said it was "investigating reports of an issue with Gmail" in which some users …
I had no issues with gmail Wednesday - TODAY is a different matter, multiple emails are missing, confirmed sent, but never arrived.
In fact sending took multiple attempts as well.
I am sticking to my claim it is The Donald busy trying to delete every mention of him and that Chinese brothel owner from the interwebs (before Melania finds out).
I am sticking to my claim it is The Donald busy trying to delete every mention of him and that Chinese brothel owner from the interwebs (before Melania finds out).
So your post will disappear soon then? As will this one since I mentioned it also?
I am on the Southern West Coast of the US and everything has been bouncing up and down since this morning.
Currently as of 2.45 pm PST corporate Gmail is stuck and erroring. Tries to load, bar gets to 90% then it sticks.
Facebook was chucking errors earlier, Twitter, its hard to tell if its working or not, my timeline still appears to be full of lunatics and gammon so seems to be normal service really.
Seems to me that the difference is, or was or should be, that Chinese individuals as well as businesses are required to spy or do whatever is requested by the Chinese government.
In the West enforcement and spy agencies are the only ones forced to do so (it's their job, and is what the wiki link refers to). While enforcement agencies can request business and individuals to do whatever they are not required to do so until a court agrees they must.
It is part of the concept the Rule of Law which has governments being accountable. Most systems, operate on the Might is Right principle where rule of law means doing as told by those in power.
The West is abandoning the many basic principles that created the modern world including the idea that governments should be open and accountable to citizens as well as the idea that everyone including governments and politicians should be subject to agreed to laws.
There are those who do not want the ideas of individual rights, democracy and rule of law to be forgotten so highlight the difference between systems.
Personally I'm seeing less and less of a difference. Ever try to find out what your government is doing or how it is spending money? In Canada it becomes an expensive exercise in frustration as everything is hidden behind "Freedom of Information" polices and practices.
"Access to Information" an Orwellian name used to keep citizens ignorant and uninformed. How could we ever know who is doing our spying, or for whom, when our governments hide and lie to us as a matter of course (insert Snowden or Justin or Trump or EU reference here).
Technically we can't be forced to spy or break laws, Chinese citizens are not so lucky if targeted for use by their government.
Technically we can't be forced to spy or break laws
Say, that's a nice business you have there. Want us to take a really, really close look at the books and all the people you have working for you?
Thought not. Now here's what we want you to do...
Happens all the time but you won't hear about it
IIn the West enforcement and spy agencies are the only ones forced to do so (it's their job,
Right... "forced" is the operative word. The fact that every major website dumps tons of tracking cookies, Google knows more about you than anyone, and FB tracks you even if you're not a member means what? We don't need laws to be spied on, only corporations.
I guess that explains why all is mostly silent out of Washington, DC. Yes, I'm being snarky but can I add: "every dark cloud has a silver lining"?
I do feel for those who rely on the other services though for contact with relatives and friends, especially with the heavy weather moving east here in the States.
I wrote a book where two patches rushed out by different groups (one to do with BGP on routers) takes down almost all web & email, but not SFTP and other stuff used by data centres to replicate instances.
Set slightly in the future where all POS, ATM, Mobile Billing, Stock ordering etc is outsourced to the Cloud.
"No Silver Lining".
It's part fantasy, no not the computer bit where a smaller Cloud provider, the only one still working and the human employees using Satellite coms to try and convince the big players to take their patches, but the bit where it's owned by Fairy Folk.
I agree and sympathize too but we have to realize that this is the internet, electrons rattling around in wires and electro-magnetic fields ... it's generally more reliable than carrier pigeons but, like pigeons, you can't complain when it doesn't work occasionally.
Well, it's still down here on southern end of the PNW. What I'm seeing is people walking about and actually seeing where they're going. No smartphone stuck in their face. And, shock of shocks, they're actually talking to each other.
I'd think if it lasts more than a day or two, there might be an increase in anxiety.
Anecdotal: I have seen signs of withdrawal when I was out and about. One younger person (well... younger than me) was checking her phone every couple of minutes in grocery checkout line. So I told her it's down pretty much everywhere. She stopped, smiled, said "thanks" and put the phone away. We then had an actual conversation.
Was logged in yesterday morning, and could post to friend's walls, and Facebook groups.
During the mid-day, I couldn't log in.
In the evening, I could log in, and could post on groups, but not on walls.
Can log in this morning, and the situation is still the same - can post on groups, but not on walls.
Have logged out, cleared cookies, and logged back in, several times - but no change.
The Facebook mobile app produces the same results - can post on groups, but not on walls.
It is time to think of those addicted to a daily dose of animal based video humour. These people need our sympathy during these terrible outages.
Just Giving page perhaps? I will certainly donate to such a worthy cause.
Be strong local council admin workers...your 6 hours a day on social media will be back soon.
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