A major internet disruption sent shockwaves across the digital world this morning, as some of the globe’s most popular apps and websites ground to a halt.
Snapchat, Roblox, Duolingo, Ring doorbells, Fortnite, Canva and even the UK Government’s HMRC portal were among the services affected.
AWS Crash Sparks Global Web Chaos: What Went Wrong?
The widespread outage, which began around 8am UK time, has now been traced back to a major fault at Amazon Web Services (AWS), the cloud computing titan that underpins a massive chunk of the internet.
Shortly after users across the UK and beyond began reporting issues, it became clear the problem wasn’t isolated. AWS confirmed it was facing “increased error rates and latencies for multiple AWS Services in the US-EAST-1 Region.”
Everything Stopped. Here’s What We Know
This might sound like technical jargon, but in simpler terms, a major chunk of the internet’s backend failed. And because AWS supports services across countless sectors, the outage rippled far and wide.
Among those hit:
- Snapchat, Fortnite and Roblox users were unable to log in or load content.
- Alexa stopped responding to voice commands, and smart devices linked to Amazon’s systems went unresponsive.
- Ring doorbells and security systems became unreachable for many users.
- HMRC’s online services suffered glitches and inaccessibility, prompting frustration for users in the UK attempting to file tax-related documents.
“I thought it was my Wi-Fi, but turns out half the internet just went poof,” one frustrated user posted on X (formerly Twitter).
Why AWS Matters More Than You Think
While Amazon might be best known for online shopping and speedy deliveries, its real money-maker is cloud computing. AWS allows companies to rent virtual servers, data storage, and computing power to run everything from mobile apps to government websites.
It generated over $108 billion in revenue last year and is responsible for the majority of Amazon’s overall profits.
When AWS breaks, so does the digital infrastructure it supports. Many companies rely solely on AWS for their backend services. And when one of its key regions, like US-EAST-1-1, encounters technical issues, the impact is global.
What’s Being Done?
AWS engineers are currently working to resolve the outage. Though some services have reportedly started to stabilise, many are still experiencing lag, connection errors or full unavailability.
There’s no official ETA for a complete fix, but AWS has assured customers that “mitigation efforts” are underway and progress is being made.
Businesses are now facing renewed pressure to rethink their cloud strategies. Today’s outage has reignited the debate around tech redundancy, with calls growing louder for companies to diversify their hosting providers and reduce dependency on a single cloud operator.
What This Means for You
If you’re still facing problems:
- Be patient, this isn’t a local issue, and most likely not your internet provider.
- Check official channels for your affected apps or services.
- Avoid reinstalling apps or changing settings unnecessarily once AWS services return; most issues should resolve automatically.
If you’re a business owner or developer:
- Assess your platform’s exposure to AWS infrastructure.
- Consider backup systems or multi-region/cloud redundancy to protect against future incidents.
Bigger Picture: Is the Internet Too Fragile?
Today’s outage reveals just how interconnected and vulnerable our online systems are. A single glitch in one region can paralyse digital services across continents.
With more businesses and services moving entirely online, the reliability of cloud infrastructure isn’t just a tech issue; it’s becoming a social one too.
Questions will now be raised about accountability, oversight, and the risks of putting the digital world in the hands of a few tech giants.
