ManaMancer
Well-known member
Amazon's cloud computing service meltdown has left internet users at the mercy of a handful of providers, experts warn. The outage, which affected more than 2,000 companies worldwide, including several high-profile apps such as Snapchat, Roblox, and Signal, highlights the perils of relying on just a few tech giants to underpin our digital infrastructure.
The glitch, which originated in Amazon's east coast US datacentre, caused widespread problems across multiple continents. The affected services included not only Amazon-owned operations but also third-party sites like Lloyds bank, Halifax, and Bank of Scotland in the UK, as well as the HM Revenue and Customs website. In total, reports of problems flooded social media platforms, with tens of thousands of complaints pouring in for individual apps.
The issue was eventually resolved after several hours, with Amazon announcing that all its cloud services had returned to normal operations by Monday evening. However, experts say the incident underscores the risks associated with the global internet's reliance on just a few big players.
"We urgently need diversification in cloud computing," said Dr Corinne Cath-Speth, head of digital at human rights organisation Article 19. "The infrastructure underpinning democratic discourse, independent journalism and secure communications cannot be dependent on a handful of companies."
Cori Crider, executive director of the Future of Technology Institute, echoed this sentiment, warning that the UK's reliance on Amazon Web Services was "reckless". "With Amazon Web Services down, we've seen the lights go out across the modern economy – from banking to communications," she said.
The incident also raised questions about the need for greater regulatory oversight of critical infrastructure providers like Amazon. The House of Commons' treasury committee has written to the economic secretary to the Treasury, Lucy Rigby, urging her to designate Amazon a "critical third party" to the UK's financial services sector – which would expose the tech firm to financial regulatory oversight.
As one expert put it, "The counter-argument is that it's these large hyper-scaling companies that have the financial resources to provide a secure, global and resilient service. But most people outside those companies would argue that is a risky position for the world to be in."
The glitch, which originated in Amazon's east coast US datacentre, caused widespread problems across multiple continents. The affected services included not only Amazon-owned operations but also third-party sites like Lloyds bank, Halifax, and Bank of Scotland in the UK, as well as the HM Revenue and Customs website. In total, reports of problems flooded social media platforms, with tens of thousands of complaints pouring in for individual apps.
The issue was eventually resolved after several hours, with Amazon announcing that all its cloud services had returned to normal operations by Monday evening. However, experts say the incident underscores the risks associated with the global internet's reliance on just a few big players.
"We urgently need diversification in cloud computing," said Dr Corinne Cath-Speth, head of digital at human rights organisation Article 19. "The infrastructure underpinning democratic discourse, independent journalism and secure communications cannot be dependent on a handful of companies."
Cori Crider, executive director of the Future of Technology Institute, echoed this sentiment, warning that the UK's reliance on Amazon Web Services was "reckless". "With Amazon Web Services down, we've seen the lights go out across the modern economy – from banking to communications," she said.
The incident also raised questions about the need for greater regulatory oversight of critical infrastructure providers like Amazon. The House of Commons' treasury committee has written to the economic secretary to the Treasury, Lucy Rigby, urging her to designate Amazon a "critical third party" to the UK's financial services sector – which would expose the tech firm to financial regulatory oversight.
As one expert put it, "The counter-argument is that it's these large hyper-scaling companies that have the financial resources to provide a secure, global and resilient service. But most people outside those companies would argue that is a risky position for the world to be in."
i mean, 2k+ companies down at once? thats crazy! 
what if some of those big ones went down for good? we'd all be toast 
but seriously, experts are right - our digital lives are too reliant on just a few tech giants. it's like we're putting all our eggs in one basket... and that's just not a good idea 
this is so concerning 
amazon needs to step up their game and make sure their cloud services are more reliable 
also, i agree with these experts who say we need more diversification in cloud computing 
like, can't we have more options for our digital infrastructure? 
it's not just about the tech companies, but also about the security and stability of our online lives 
. I mean, 2,000+ companies down? That's crazy! And it's not just any old outage, either - these were major players like Snapchat and Signal we're talking about 
and expecting everything to work out okay when it inevitably doesn't. And then there are people warning us about this, saying we need diversification and more regulation... I mean, I get it, but how do you even start that process? 
THAT'S LIKE, A PERFECT STORM OF DISRUPTION! 
AND NOW EXPERTS ARE SAYING WE NEED MORE DIVERSIFICATION IN CLOUD COMPUTING. I COULDN'T AGREE MORE! 
IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT AMAZON, EITHER - IT'S ABOUT THE BIG PICTURE: DO WE REALLY WANT TO RISK OUR DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE ON THE BACK OF ONE COMPANY? 