A few minutes ago Youtube disappeared off the internet. All that remained was an error message and a note from Youtube saying: “A team of highly trained monkeys has been dispatched to deal with this situation!” What has happened? The world, and Twitter, is alive with speculation.
Courtesy of dejanseo.com
One Twitter User stated: “Very odd, pinging Youtube on different networks and data-centres and none are responding. #Youtubedown” (@pedrosttau)
People online want to know why the video giant, known for its 24/7 access, has suddenly failed – reporting error messages to users across the globe.
The Google message reads: “502. The server encountered a temporary error and could not complete your request. Please try again in 30 seconds. That’s all we know.”
What Could Have Happened?
What’s going on? Some people are saying that it’s because ‘we all watched the space jump’ – that’s impossible – though speculation at this point it rife.
Twitter users have begun to question whether the infamous hacking group ‘Anonymous’ has struck again – breaking through what can only be described as incredible amounts of security, to cripple Youtube.
What are their motives? Perhaps it’s directly related to the Brazil vs Youtube debacle we wrote about a few days ago. If their goal is to protect freedom of expression online – then maybe they don’t like how Google is bowing to pressure to ‘take political videos down.’
A few reactions to the potential hack:
@steynproduction: A moment of silence for @Youtube #Youtubedown
@fake_us: #Youtubedown I cannot enjoy my day without Youtube XD
@odouglasj: I wonder if Iranian hackers are responsible for Youtube being down
Until an official statement is released we won’t be sure. Stay tuned for updates.
UPDATE: Hacking group Anonymous has claimed responsibility for attacking and downing Youtube yesterday. This has not been confirmed by Youtube or Google, though @AnonymousOwn3er admitted to the hack live on Twitter, some 10 hours ago.
Youtube told CBS News:
“Some users encountered errors, or a slower than normal experience on YouTube today. Our engineers worked quickly to address the issue and fixed the problem within minutes. We’re sorry for any inconvenience this caused our users.”
A suspicious affair, but there are 3 reasons this could have happened. The most likely is that Google caved and took down political videos after significant pressure by the Brazilian government. It comes as a secondary blow after leaked reports of Google’s stock crash, and one day after they exposed their data centers to the world.
Is Google in trouble? It seems that way.
Have something to add to the #Youtubedown argument? Leave it here!
Perhaps Google’s panda discovered “duplicate content”!
@Anthony – Lol! Wouldn’t that be great! – John