Panic over: Facebook service has been restored and all is right with the world. Except it isn't. If Monday's outage, which lasted almost six hours, showed us anything it is that – for some of us at least – Facebook wields a lot of power over our lives than we care to think.
Perhaps it’s time to consider loosening its grip. After all, if one technical glitch can cause such widespread chaos, imagine what something more sustained could do.
The old adage of putting all your eggs in one basket springs to mind.
The problem started late Monday afternoon. Shortly after experts noticed that Border Gateway Protocols (BGP) routes for Facebook's online properties had been deleted from the internet, Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram went down.
Why is that so important?
BGP essentially helps route online traffic to sites as quickly as possible. When the records were withdrawn, the traffic had no directions to Facebook’s services. Think of it like going on a car trip.
You know where you want to go, you have the means to get there, but the map showing what route to take is missing. So you end up driving around in circles, unable to reach your final destination.
It wasn’t just Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp that were affected though. Oculus services were also disrupted, while those who use Facebook as a log in for third party services found their access interrupted. So if you signed up to a photosharing site with your Facebook ID, you were out of luck when you needed to log in.
It wouldn’t be too suppressing if some people were thinking of disentangling themselves from Facebook. So what are your options?
Messaging, calling and video calls
The first indication for most people that something was not right was when WhatsApp stopped connecting. The popular messaging app couldn’t retrieve new messages are send them, leaving many users cut off from friends, family and work groups.
But while everyone may have been at a loss yesterday when it came to getting in touch, there was life before WhatsApp. And there are plenty of alternatives for both video calling and instant messaging.
FaceTime and iMessage
If you have an iPhone, iPad or Mac, you have access to Apple's messaging servcies. For text and multimedia messages, that is iMessage; for voice and video, you need to look at FaceTime. iMessage works only between Apple devices; FaceTime however has been opened up to Android and PC users through web browsers. When you open the FaceTime app on your Apple device, you'll see an option to create a link. Tap Create Link, choose a name for your FaceTime call and share it via SMS, email or (ironically) WhatsApp.
Recipients can click on the link to join the call immediately.
Duo
Android users, this one is designed for you. Google’s voice and video calling app may have been developed for Android devices, but you can download an iOS version, meaning you can easily call your iPhone contacts.
Signal
Open sourced, Signal also has the benefit of being both free to download and easy to use. A simple, secure messaging app that offers text, voice and video messaging, with group chats and the ability to send files to recipients. You can use it on mobile devices and desktops, including Linux.
Messages have end to end encryption by default, so your messages – including voice and video calls – are secure and can only be read by the intended recipient. That encryption is well regarded too; it’s open source and built on the Signal Protocol.
Signal is free to download and use, and is ad-free. There are no trackers either, so you can use it safe in the knowledge that your every move isn't under scrutiny. The app comes highly recommended. The company has the seal of approval from Edward Snowden, security expert Bruce Schneier and Twitter boss Jack Dorsey.
Telegram
Telegram is a free cloud based messaging service that will work across multiple platforms, including smartphones, tablets and computers. It offers you everything from text chats with your friends and family to voice chats. Group text chats can become voice calls that people can jump in and out of, supporting up to a few thousand participants, according to the company.
You can restrict who can forward your messages with your information, and if you want to stay under the radar, you can add a username rather than allow people to search for you using your mobile phone number.
For convenience, you can schedule messages to be delivered at a set time or when your intended recipient comes online. Telegram also offers the ability to edit your messages up to 48 hour after they have been sent, so you can correct annoying typos and avoid the dreaded autocorrect.
Because Telegram is cloud based, it doesn’t take up much space on your phone. If you are running short on storage space, that could be a bonus – although most people would prefer the messages stay on their phone rather than on a server.
Threema
Threema requires you to pay up to download it, costing just under €4. It is also the only option that allows you to stay completely anonymous, as it doesn’t require a phone number or email address to set up.
Threema goes a step further than Signal and the rest by assigning users a randomly generated ID rather than asking you to hand over an email or phone number. Contact synchronisation is optional, and Threema’s app isopen source so if you know your code, you can check it out and evaluate it for yourself.
It also encrypts every message you send, including group chats, media files, and status messages and it generates as little data on the servers as possible. Once your messages are delivered, they are deleted from the server.
Messaging aside, what about logging in to services?
That is a relatively easy one, unless those services are Facebook properties and require a Facebook account.
Assuming they don’t though, and you used Facebook to log in out of convenience, you can undo all that.
First, find out which services use Facebook to log in. To do that, open your Facebook profile and navigate to settings. On desktop, you’ll see it under the small arrow in the top right corner of the screen, Settings & privacy>Settings>Apps and websites. On mobile, click on menu on the bottom right of the screen, scroll down to Settings & privacy>Settings and scroll down to security, and select apps and websites.
You’ll find a list of sites and services that are using your Facebook login. Go to each of these sites and request a password reset. Then remove each of the services from your Facebook account.
If you are on the hunt for a new social network, you have a couple of options
Twitter is there, although it has its own issues, as is TikTok for video, Snapchat and LinkedIn for professional networking.
Another rival for Facebook is MeWe, which is probably the closest you will get to Facebook in its current form.
There is a chat service, the ability upload photos and video, and you can share your thoughts in the group or pages you create. However, it promises no ads and no spyware; a premium version of the site with extra features is available, but you don’t have to pay to use the basic MeWe service.
As always though, the issue with new social media platforms is making sure that your community is also using the same services. If you are the only one, it may be a short-lived jump to a new service.
