By Elena Vasquez, Lead Editor
VNN | October 20, 2025
A widespread internet outage originating from Amazon Web Services’ (AWS) US-East region—the backbone for much of America’s digital infrastructure—struck without warning early Monday morning, October 20, 2025, disrupting services for millions across the East Coast and beyond. Popular platforms including Snapchat, Roblox, Fortnite, Duolingo, Zoom, Reddit, and even banking apps like Lloyds went dark, leaving users frustrated and businesses scrambling. For conservatives who rely on reliable networks for remote work and family connections, this glitch exposes the fragility of centralized tech giants—yet recovery came swiftly, with most services restored by mid-morning.
The disruption began around 3:11 AM ET (12:11 AM PT, 8:11 AM BST), as AWS reported connectivity issues in its Virginia-based US-East-1 data centers, the nerve center for 30% of global internet traffic. Outages cascaded globally, hitting apps and sites reliant on AWS cloud hosting: Snapchat users couldn’t send snaps, Roblox players lost servers, and Fortnite matches froze mid-game. Even non-gaming services like Duolingo, Robinhood trading, and Cloudflare-protected sites buckled, with Downdetector logging over 100,000 reports by 4 AM ET. In the East Coast hub—spanning New York to Miami—commuters faced delayed transit apps, while remote workers in Boston and D.C. lost Zoom meetings.
Amazon acknowledged the problem at 3:50 AM ET via its AWS status page, attributing it to “network connectivity issues” in the US-East-1 region—home to servers powering everything from e-commerce to streaming. Speculation swirled: Was it a cyberattack from China, as floated by some X users, or just infrastructure strain? Officials ruled out foul play, pinning it on internal failures, but the incident echoes 2021’s AWS outage that cost businesses $150 million.
Recovery began by 5:27 AM ET, with Amazon reporting “most services back online” and full resolution by 6:30 AM ET. Snapchat and Roblox confirmed normalization by 7 AM, while Fortnite servers stabilized shortly after. No end time was specified for residual glitches, but experts like ThousandEyes noted “ongoing monitoring” into the afternoon.
This blackout underscores America’s digital vulnerability—AWS powers 33% of the cloud market, a monopoly conservatives decry as anti-competitive. As remote life booms, such failures hit hard: East Coast parents juggled school apps, while businesses lost $5-10 million per hour. VNN urges diversification—don’t put all eggs in one cloud basket.
At VNN, we’re committed to Valiant, Verified, and Vanguard reporting—delivering facts with respect for institutions and an eye toward liberty’s defense. Connectivity restored, but resilience needed.
Signed,
Elena Vasquez
Lead Editor, VNN
