Cloudflare outage disrupts access to some Taiwan government websites

Taipei, Nov. 18 (CNA) A global outage at internet infrastructure and security provider Cloudflare has disrupted the operation of some Taiwanese government websites, including a dedicated site for the NT$10,000 (US$321) cash handout program, the Ministry of Digital Affairs (MODA) said Tuesday.

Due to Cloudflare's service anomaly, the operations of some key government websites were disrupted, including the NT$10,000 cash handout website at 10000.gov.tw, which experienced unstable connections or failed to load, MODA said in a news statement issued Tuesday night.

The ministry, however, did not specify which government websites have been affected by the disruption, apart from the NT$10,000 cash handout website.

CNA tried to access the websites of the Presidential Office, the Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at around 10:00 p.m. and did not experience any problems.

According to a Reuters report, thousands of users worldwide were unable to access major online platforms such as X and ChatGPT on Tuesday after Cloudflare, whose network handles roughly one-fifth of global web traffic, suffered an outage that disrupted internet services.

"MODA is working with Cloudflare to clarify the root cause of the problem, the extent of its impact, and the emergency response measures," the statement read.

At 7:48 p.m., Cloudflare announced on its website that it was experiencing network connectivity issues, affecting websites around the world that use its network security services, the ministry said.

Following "immediate" contact with Cloudflare, MODA and the service provider are closely working together to develop and implement "necessary measures" to speed up the restoration of stable system operations, the ministry added.

The NT$10,000 cash handout website is currently experiencing occasional connection interruptions, but they will not affect the public's right to receive the payment, MODA said.

It urged people who wish to register for the NT$10,000 cash handout on the website to remain patient and, if they encounter unstable connections, to try again later or use ATMs to withdraw the cash.

Taiwan opened online registration for the NT$10,000 cash handout on Nov. 5, allowing Taiwanese nationals and eligible foreign residents to register to have the money transferred to their bank accounts.