A significant outage affecting Microsoft’s Bing application programming interface (API) had resulted in widespread disruptions across various search platforms. The problems began around 3 AM Eastern Time (12:30 pm) and have since caused numerous services to either become completely inaccessible or intermittently responsive.
The issues were primarily linked to Bing’s API, which many search engines and services depend on. Initially, Microsoft’s own Bing search engine was affected, but it now appears to be functioning normally, as reported by TechCrunch.
However, other search engines that utilize Bing’s API, such as DuckDuckGo and Ecosia, are still unable to generate search results. Microsoft’s Copilot is similarly impacted, showing an endless loading loop that prevents users from accessing its features. ChatGPT, which offers web search capabilities to Plus subscribers, also displayed error messages when users attempt to perform searches.
Microsoft has acknowledged the issues with its Copilot service and stated that it is “working to isolate the cause of the issue.” Despite these problems, Microsoft’s service health dashboard does not indicate any other service outages at this time. Both OpenAI and Ecosia have confirmed experiencing difficulties with their search functionalities, with OpenAI noting that it is investigating the problem.
As the situation develops, users of these services may continue to experience disruptions until the underlying issues are fully resolved.
Moreover, thousands of users across the globe reportedly faced problems using the Bing Image Creator and other Microsoft products, reported Downdetector. As per the outage detection website, more than 55 percent reported problems with the website, 30 percent faced issues using the search and five percent could not login.
The report indicates that over 2,000 users in the US have been unable to use search engines, prompting numerous complaints on social media. This outage has also sparked a wave of humorous memes across various social media platforms.
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Published: 23 May 2024, 07:47 PM IST