LONDON, Aug. 08, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — NordVPN, a global leader in cybersecurity and privacy solutions, unveiled a new feature called “Is it down?” checker, designed to help users quickly determine whether popular websites and services are experiencing outages.
This feature analyzes user reports to offer transparent insights into the operational status of well-known platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Reddit, Twitter, and Xbox Network.
“We report outages based on user reports to the ‘Is it down?’ checker page. Updates happen only when reports pass a 75% threshold of a set baseline, not immediately. Recovery is tracked as reports drop below these levels,” says Marijus Briedis, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at NordVPN. “By providing crowdsourced visibility into service health, we aim to empower users with first-hand information.”
How does it work?
The core of the “Is it down?” checker is a system that recalculates a baseline every 30 minutes based on the past 24 hours of user reports to establish a service’s or website’s activity. Status updates occur only when enough data is available. Dynamic thresholds set at 50% and 75% of this baseline flag possible issues or outages, with recovery tracked as reports drop below these levels.
“Understanding whether an issue is widespread or localized helps reduce frustration and informs smarter responses,” says Briedis.
He highlights that website or service interruptions can stem from various factors, including server overload or technical failures, scheduled maintenance or software updates, user-side network issues like DNS problems or ISP outages, and cybersecurity threats such as distributed DDoS attacks.
The “Is it down?” checker relies on user reports to deliver timely updates. It does not confirm official outages and cannot guarantee perfect accuracy. The status indicator is refreshed every 30 minutes using data from the past 24 hours, helping users stay informed during brief glitches and extended disruptions.
A step toward a more transparent internet
With the “Is it down?” checker, NordVPN continues to build tools that promote digital awareness and resilience. By putting information into users’ hands, the company empowers individuals to navigate the online world with greater clarity and confidence.
“As our digital lives become more complex, timely and accurate information is no longer optional, it’s essential,” says Briedis. “We believe that features like the ‘Is it down?’ checker help bring transparency to internet reliability and reinforce our mission to make the internet more accessible for everyone.”
The “Is it down?” checker is now live and freely available to the public here: https://nordvpn.com/is-it-down/
ABOUT NORDVPN:
NordVPN is the world’s most advanced VPN service provider, chosen by millions of internet users worldwide. The service offers features such as dedicated IP, Double VPN, and Onion Over VPN servers, which help to boost your online privacy with zero tracking. One of NordVPN’s key features is Threat Protection Pro™, a tool that helps to block malicious websites, trackers, and ads and scans downloads for malware. The latest creation of Nord Security, NordVPN’s parent company, is Saily — a travel eSIM app. NordVPN is known for being user friendly and can offer some of the best prices on the market. This VPN provider covers 165 locations across 118 countries worldwide. For more information, visit https://nordvpn.com.
More information: brigita@nordsec.com
