| Recurring |
one_organization, multiple_organization |
(a) The software failure incident at Instagram, owned by Meta, where users' accounts were suspended due to a bug causing issues accessing their accounts, is not the first time such an incident has occurred. In the past, Instagram has faced outages and technical issues affecting user access and functionality [134091].
(b) The incident at Instagram is not unique to the platform, as other social media companies have also experienced similar outages and technical glitches impacting user experience. This suggests that such software failures are not exclusive to a single organization but can occur across multiple organizations in the tech industry [134091]. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident reported in the articles seems to be related to the design phase. The incident was attributed to a bug that caused some Instagram users to have issues accessing their accounts, leading to a temporary change in the number of followers for some accounts [134091]. This bug was distinct from past outages on the platform, where users were notified that their accounts had been suspended rather than just being unable to access them. The company behind Instagram, Meta, confirmed that the issue was caused by a bug in the system development, which affected users globally. The statement from Meta acknowledged the bug and mentioned that they resolved the issue as quickly as possible for all impacted users [134091].
(b) Additionally, there were reports from users that glitches were affecting their usage of the app even before the specific incident on Monday morning. Some users mentioned that the app continuously crashed as they tried to scroll through their feed, indicating operational issues with the app's performance [134091]. This could suggest that there were contributing factors introduced by the operation or misuse of the system that may have exacerbated the overall software failure incident. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system |
(a) within_system: The software failure incident on Instagram was attributed to a bug within the system that caused some users to have issues accessing their accounts, resulting in a temporary change in their follower count. Meta, the parent company of Instagram, confirmed that the problem was caused by a bug and stated that they resolved the issue as quickly as possible [134091].
(b) outside_system: There is no specific mention in the article of the software failure incident being caused by contributing factors originating from outside the system. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions, human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident in the article was primarily due to non-human actions, specifically a bug that caused some Instagram users to have issues accessing their accounts. Meta, the parent company of Instagram, confirmed that a bug led to the temporary suspension of accounts and changes in follower counts for some users [134091].
(b) Additionally, human actions were involved in the aftermath of the software failure incident. Users who received suspension notifications were given the option to appeal the decision within 30 days, indicating a human intervention process in response to the automated account suspensions. However, some users reported being logged out of their accounts and unable to log back in when trying to follow the appeal process, suggesting potential issues with the human-driven appeal mechanism [134091]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
software |
(a) The software failure incident reported in the articles does not seem to be related to hardware issues. There is no mention of hardware contributing to the problem or causing the Instagram account suspensions and access issues.
(b) The software failure incident was attributed to a bug in the Instagram app. Meta, the parent company of Instagram, confirmed that a bug caused some users to have issues accessing their accounts, leading to a temporary change in follower counts. The company issued a statement acknowledging the bug and apologizing for the inconvenience caused to users. Users also reported glitches affecting their app usage before the incident occurred [134091]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
non-malicious |
(a) The software failure incident reported in Article 134091 was non-malicious. Instagram users experienced account suspensions due to a bug in the system, causing temporary changes in follower counts and access issues. Meta, the parent company of Instagram, confirmed that the issue was caused by a bug and not by any malicious activity. Users were given the option to appeal the decision within 30 days, indicating that the suspensions were not intentional acts of harm but rather a result of a technical glitch [134091]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
accidental_decisions |
(a) The software failure incident reported in Article 134091 was not primarily due to poor decisions. Instead, it was attributed to a bug that caused some Instagram users to have issues accessing their accounts, leading to a temporary change in follower counts for some accounts. Meta, the parent company of Instagram, acknowledged the bug and stated that the issue was resolved as quickly as possible for those impacted [134091].
(b) The software failure incident in the article was more aligned with accidental decisions or mistakes rather than poor decisions. Users reported issues with their accounts, such as being logged out and unable to log back in, as well as experiencing glitches before the widespread account access problems on Monday morning. The incident was described as a bug that affected users' access to their Instagram accounts, leading to suspensions and temporary changes in follower counts [134091]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
accidental |
(a) The software failure incident reported in Article 134091 was not attributed to development incompetence. The incident was described as a bug that caused some Instagram users to have issues accessing their accounts, leading to a temporary change in how many people follow them. Meta, the parent company of Instagram, acknowledged the bug and stated that they resolved the issue as quickly as possible for those impacted [134091].
(b) The software failure incident in Article 134091 was categorized as accidental. The issue was described as a bug that caused Instagram users to have trouble accessing their accounts, resulting in some accounts being temporarily suspended. Meta confirmed that the problem was due to a bug and not due to any intentional actions or development incompetence. The company apologized for the inconvenience caused by the accidental software failure [134091]. |
| Duration |
temporary |
(a) The software failure incident in the article was temporary. Users reported issues accessing their Instagram accounts in the morning, but by the evening, access was restored for most users. The company confirmed that a bug caused the problem and that it was resolved as quickly as possible [134091]. |
| Behaviour |
crash, omission, timing, value, other |
(a) crash: The software failure incident in the article is related to a crash where Instagram users woke up to find their accounts suspended, leading to a loss of access to the platform's functions [134091].
(b) omission: The incident also involved omission as users were unable to post Halloween photos on the app due to their accounts being suspended, resulting in the system omitting to perform its intended functions [134091].
(c) timing: Timing issues were observed in the incident as some users reported glitches affecting their app usage before Monday morning, indicating that the system was not performing its intended functions correctly at the right time [134091].
(d) value: The software failure incident also involved value-related issues as some users experienced a temporary change in the number of followers due to the bug, indicating that the system was performing its intended functions incorrectly in terms of user metrics [134091].
(e) byzantine: There is no indication of a byzantine behavior in the software failure incident reported in the article.
(f) other: The other behavior observed in the incident was the system prompting users to appeal the account suspension decision within 30 days, but when users tried to follow the appeal process, they were logged out of their accounts and unable to log back in, showcasing an unexpected behavior in the system [134091]. |