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Yes, Downdetector is an identifiable outage-reporting service operated as part of Ookla, but its reports are signals—not proof that a service is down or working. It aggregates user reports and other online information, so use it to spot possible patterns, confirm important incidents on the affected provider’s official status page, and avoid sharing sensitive details in public comments.
What Downdetector does
Downdetector collects outage reports submitted by users and monitors other online sources for signs of service issues. Ookla says Downdetector covers thousands of services in 72 countries and receives more than 25 million user reports per month. Those are company-reported figures on its About page; the page does not state the figures’ year or identify them as independently audited. Downdetector About
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The service evaluates incoming reports against a typical reporting pattern for the same service and time of day, using the prior six months as its baseline. It reevaluates its status every four minutes. That measures changes in reporting activity; it is not a direct technical check of every provider’s systems. Downdetector methodology
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Downdetector displays one of three labels. Read them as descriptions of its report signal, not as guarantees about the provider:
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- No problems: Downdetector has no report-based evidence of an incident.
- Possible problems: The reports provide some evidence of an incident.
- Problems: The reports provide strong evidence of an incident.
A page marked “No problems” does not rule out an individual, regional, or newly emerging fault. A spike marked “Problems” shows a pattern in reports, not a direct measurement of the provider’s infrastructure. A small number of reports alone does not establish an incident, and repeat reports from one user are limited in public totals. Downdetector methodology
Is Downdetector safe for privacy?
Its privacy policy describes collecting outage information from anonymous reports submitted to Downdetector, comments, social media posts, and other information. The policy also says Ookla licenses Downdetector data to business customers. The version served on Ookla’s GB site describes processing that can include interaction records, IP address and city or postal code, device and engagement data, cookies, and inferences. It also describes international data transfers and privacy controls. Ookla privacy policy (GB)
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These details describe the policy version served on the GB site, not necessarily the policy or rights that apply to every visitor. Check the privacy policy and privacy choices shown for your location. As with any public comment area, do not post passwords, account identifiers, phone numbers, email addresses, or other sensitive information.
Can you trust Downdetector comments?
Not as verified support advice. Ookla’s Terms of Use say it is not obligated to pre-screen or monitor user material, and that user content does not represent Ookla’s views or carry an endorsement of accuracy. Comments can help show what other users are experiencing, but treat them as observations rather than confirmed instructions or official incident details. Ookla Terms of Use
How to check whether a service is down
- Check the provider’s official status page or service-health dashboard. Confirm that its product and geographic area match the problem you are seeing. Examples include Cloudflare Status, Google Cloud Service Health, and AWS Health.
- Compare the notice with Downdetector’s report pattern and timing. The provider’s page offers provider-published incident information; Downdetector shows a report-based signal. Neither source is universally faster or more accurate.
- If the provider reports normal service and Downdetector is quiet, check your own connection and device. If the problem continues, contact the provider through a support channel you know is official.
Downdetector versus an official status page
| What to compare | Downdetector | Provider status page |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | Reports across many third-party services | The provider’s own products |
| Evidence | Patterns in user reports and other online sources | Provider-published incident notices |
| Product and geographic detail | Depends on the service page and reports | Check whether the notice names the affected product and region |
| Update timing | Status reevaluated every four minutes, according to Downdetector | Timing depends on the provider |
Use the two sources for different kinds of evidence. A mismatch does not by itself prove either source is wrong: reports and official notices may reflect different scopes or stages of an incident.
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