The measure was taken by Facebook in response to the request of several regulators and the increasing congestion in networks due to the coronavirus pandemic. "To help alleviate networks in this period of high demand due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are going to temporarily reduce the bit resolution of videos on Facebook and Instagram in Latin America. We want to ensure that people can stay connected using Facebook applications and service, and we will continue to work with our allies to manage any bandwidth limitations", the firm said.
The change will be reflected in the videos on Facebook Watch and the newsfeed of the social network and Instagram, for a period of one month. It will not apply to Facebook Live or live broadcasts on Instagram.