Network faces repeated outages amid DOGS hype, Durov arrest update

The Open Network (TON) faced another setback this week, with its second major outage in 36 hours, temporarily disrupting blockchain functionality.

During this period, the TON network has endured more than 12 hours of outages in total.

TON net buckles under pressure

The network went offline at 19:17 UTC on August 28, and after a coordinated effort by the TON developers, who urged mainnet validators to update and restart their nodes, it was restored to at 1:30am UTC on August 29th.

Recent outages, including one the previous day that lasted more than six hours, were primarily caused by an “abnormal” increase in transactions linked to the DOGS meme coin launch. The event, which saw six million verified users request tokens, significantly overloaded the network, causing validators to lose consensus.

The official DOGS Telegram channel later addressed the issue, saying:

“We know some of you are still waiting for your withdrawal on the chain. Rest assured, all teams are working very hard to achieve this. The blockchain is experiencing an unprecedented load right now, but everyone is doing their best possible to solve the problem as soon as possible.

DOGS, a Telegram-based meme coin, has generated considerable interest in the crypto community due to its expected utility expansion within the Telegram ecosystem. Inspired by Spotty, Telegram founder Pavel Durov’s dog, it was introduced in July 2024 and launched on August 27.

The TON ecosystem in general has faced uncertainty following Durov’s arrest over the weekend. The TON token has declined nearly 15% over the past seven days and is currently trading at $5.6.

Update on Durov’s arrest

On August 28, French authorities filed preliminary charges against the executive for allegedly allowing criminal activity on his messaging app and have restricted him from leaving the country while the investigation continues.

The arrest in France sparked outrage in Russia, with some government officials calling it politically motivated and accusing the West of double standards over freedom of expression.

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday that the arrest was not politically motivated but was the result of an independent investigation. In a post on X, Macron stressed that France is “deeply committed” to freedom of expression, but added that they remain within a legal framework, both online and offline, to safeguard citizens and defend their fundamental rights. His statement was heavily criticized by defenders of freedom of expression.

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