A widespread internet outage has impacted numerous websites and applications worldwide, with users experiencing significant disruptions after problems arose at Amazon’s cloud computing division, Amazon Web Services (AWS). The incident led to failures across a broad spectrum of platforms, including popular social media apps like Snapchat, Roblox, Signal, and Duolingo, as well as major Amazon-owned services such as its retail website and Ring doorbell cameras.
In the UK, the outage affected prominent institutions including Lloyds Bank, Halifax, and the Bank of Scotland. Users also reported difficulties accessing HM Revenue and Customs’ website on Monday morning. Social media was flooded with complaints from Ring doorbell owners unable to access their devices, while other affected platforms in the UK included Wordle, Coinbase, Slack, Pokémon Go, Epic Games, PlayStation Network, and Peloton.
By around 10:30 a.m. UK time, Amazon indicated that the issues were being addressed, noting that signs of recovery were evident. Earlier, at approximately 8 a.m., the problem had first emerged, with AWS confirming that the outage originated from its US East Coast data center region. The company later confirmed that services depending on the US-EAST-1 region had begun recovering, and by 11 a.m., Amazon stated that the incident was largely resolved globally.
The UK government confirmed it was in contact with Amazon regarding the incident. A spokesperson stated, “We are aware of an incident affecting Amazon Web Services, and several online services which rely on their infrastructure. Through our established incident response arrangements, we are in contact with the company, who are working to restore services as quickly as possible.”
