WhatsApp has 'become this kind of backbone of these emerging economies,' one experts tells ABC News, highlighting how businesses use WhatsApp to communicate with customers and suppliers, while workers use it to find jobs.
During the outage, Facebook's website and app were inaccessible, as wereDiego Simon Sanchez/Agencia El Universal via Newscom
"I think it speaks to the vulnerability of our dependence on these platforms," said Philip Roessler, a professor at William & Mary, at which he co-directs the Digital Inclusion and Governance Lab.Roessler said that in countries where he does his research -- places like Kenya and Malawi -- WhatsApp is an essential part of the communications infrastructure, especially as mobile customers take advantage of WhatsApp-dedicated bundles that are much cheaper than standard mobile data.
In Brazil, local broadcaster Globo reported that the outage temporarily crippled some small businesses, rendering them unable to fill orders.
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