This new NordVPN feature lets you know when sites aren't working

NordVPN, the best VPN on the market based on our testing, has released a brand-new feature which shows which websites and services are experiencing outages.

Named (rather aptly) "Is it down?", this new feature analyzes user reports in order to offer insight into the current status of many different platforms, including Reddit, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Xbox Network, and YouTube.

If user reports about a site to "Is it down?" pass a 75% threshold of a set baseline, the operational status of that site is then updated. The site's recovery is then tracked as reports slow.

Discussing "Is it down?", Marijus Briedis, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at NordVPN said "by providing crowdsourced visibility into service health, we aim to empower users with first-hand information."

How does Nord's 'Is it down?' checker work?

"Is it down?" functions using a system that establishes the activity of a service or website by recalculating a baseline for that site or service every 30 minutes. This recalculation is based on the past 24 hours of user reports.

Possible issues or outages are flagged by dynamic thresholds set at 50% and 75% of this baseline, with recovery tracked as reports drop below these thresholds. Only when enough data is collected do status updates occur.

Bredis noted that "understanding whether an issue is widespread or localized helps reduce frustration and informs smarter responses," as website or service interruptions can be caused by a number of different issues.

This could be user-specific like DNS issues or ISP outages, or impact all users, like DDoS cyber attacks, scheduled maintenance or software updates.

However, it's important to note that as it relies on user reports alone, "Is it down?" cannot confirm official outages, nor can it guarantee that it is completely accurate. Instead, it can inform users when brief glitches or extended outages occur.

Why did Nord create "Is it down?"

NordVPN has said that the introduction of "Is it down?" is a continuation of its aims to "build tools that promote digital awareness and resilience."

"Is it down?" is the latest in cybersecurity features launched by NordVPN, alongside Threat Protection Pro, post-quantum encryption and ID theft recovery – our NordVPN review explores these features in more detail.

The company also noted that by giving internet users the ability to independently check and report site and service outages, it aims to empower them in their navigation of the online world.

Briedis explained further: "As our digital lives become more complex, timely and accurate information is no longer optional, it’s essential."

"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."

"Is it down?" is now available, free to use, whether you're a NordVPN user or not.