Facebook and Instagram reduce video quality in Europe to battle network clogging

Working from home may be a dream-come-true for some, but broadband services in many countries weren’t designed for such overloads. The sheer number of people working remotely or keeping in touch with their close ones clogs the network and renders any online task troublesome.

The global health situation forced many people to stay at home in an attempt to limit the spread of the coronavirus. The pandemic is reaching its peak in Europe after China saw a decline in newly reported cases, and most European countries are currently in a state of emergency.

With limited means of entertainment, people stuck at home turn to streaming services like Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, and YouTube, which were first to react by reducing video quality for users in Europe in response to a plea by the European Union. According to Engadget, Facebook and Instagram will do the same to help ease the traffic in the virus-stuck continent.

"To help alleviate any potential network congestion, we will temporarily reduce bit rates for videos on Facebook and Instagram in Europe. We are committed to working with our partners to manage any bandwidth constraints during this period of heavy demand, while also ensuring people are able to remain connected using Facebook apps and services during the COVID-19 pandemic.", an official Facebook spokesperson told Engadget.

While this is far from perfect for social media fans, keeping the internet flow undisturbed will help people do their jobs. Many researchers in Europe are working hard to find a possible cure or develop a vaccine for the virus. Sharing their results with colleagues and working collaboratively over the internet may help mankind deal faster with the current situation.