Checking social networks is a morning ritual for many, and when that routine is disrupted – as it was recently when Facebook’s servers went down – its absence can come as a surprise. But what also becomes apparent is that when the world’s most popular social network is inaccessible, so too are many thousands of websites that rely upon Facebook services.
Although it lasted less than an hour, Facebook’s downtime gave a rare glimpse into the extent to which it – and other social networks – have penetrated our daily use of the web.
Instagram, bought by Facebook in 2012, and Tinder, which requires a Facebook account to log in, were among the big sites that were also brought down. But many thousands of websites rely on a Facebook account as a means for users to log in or post comments – including The Conversation. This cascading failure shows how the need for websites to provide a means to authenticate users has given rise to a centralising trend – and the vulnerability to failure that brings.
Identity Mistakes Are Costly
For the developer of a website or app user management is a difficult problem. You must be able to store, encrypt and decrypt users’ information securely, allow them to reset their forgotten password, offer them a range of secret questions and other account management options. The more secure systems use two-factor authentication, which requires authentication via unconnected systems – for example combining username and password, mobile phone text message, fingerprint or keycard.
