Jan 1970: WhatsApp, Facebook users report date bug

• WhatsApp reportedly says it is aware of the issue and is working on fixing the bug.
• The bug shows Jan 1970 date within Facebook and WhatsApp apps.
• The glitch might be due to “Linux bug based on epoch time”.

KARACHI: Social media users are reporting a glitch in the WhatsApp and Facebook apps due to which the date of “Jan 1970” is appearing within chats and on posts.

The images shared by WhatsApp users on Facebook show they received missed calls on “1 Jan 1970” and wondered why this is happening.

“Does anyone know why is this happening in WhatsApp calling?? It’s been the second time that date appeared in two different chats,” one user posted in a Facebook tech group.

Read more: WhatsApp introduces new web update 2.21.2.19

Another responded to it, saying that WhatsApp is aware of the issue and it is a “Linux bug based on epoch time”.

In another tech forum, a WhatsApp response was shared in which the messaging app said it was aware of the issue and “working on fixing it in a future update”.

However, there is no statement from Facebook, which also owns WhatsApp, over the matter putting the users in a jeopardy regarding the security of their data.

This is not the first time that Facebook experienced a timestamp glitch. In 2015, the social media giant faced a similar problem when its users were sent notifications regarding friendships.

According to a Gizmodo report, it was s most likely due to an issue with Unix time, also known as Epoch time.

This system counts the number of seconds that have elapsed since January 1, 1970, so there’s a good chance that an error might’ve restarted the clock on this particular Facebook feature. (That’s almost exactly 46 years ago.)