Facebook down: Users fear password hack after being logged out and unable to log back

Numerous users voice concern that password resets mean they have been hacked – but problems appears to be technical issues with website

Numerous Facebook users have been mysteriously kicked out of their accounts – and can't get back in.

Substantial numbers of people reported they had lost access to their account, while others said the site had stopped working entirely.

The problems led to mass confusion as users took to other social networks like Twitter to ask Facebook what had happened to their accounts. Others worried they had been hacked – though the problem appears to be a technical issue with the way the site works.

Users said they had tried to get onto Facebook only to find they had been signed out. And when they tried to log back in as usual, the password appeared to have stopped working.

A prompt that pops up when users can't get back into their accounts suggests they reset their passwords by receiving a code in their email. But that code did not appear to be working, users said.

Some people are simply unable to get onto the site at all, according to the website Down Detector. The issues appeared to be concentrated in Europe, according to the same site.

Facebook's developer status page showed no issues with its platform. The Independent has contacted the company for comment.