UK Leave vote stuns Europe – 4 ways Brexit is melting the internet
It’s official: The UK has voted to leave the European Union, and the internet is in a frenzy.
The Leave campaign scored a tight victory over Remain by garnering just shy of 52% of the total vote. This decision is sure to have far-reaching effects on Britain for years to come.
But in the short-term, we’re already seeing some of the immediate impacts of Brexit online.
Britain has voted to leave the European Union
1. People don’t understand Brexit
Across the UK, 72.2% of a confirmed 46,500,0001 electorate turned out to vote in the EU referendum. But it seems plenty of people aren’t even sure what they voted for.
Google has reported an incredible 250% spike in the search term “what happens if we leave the EU?” at midnight last night.
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Related: How tech bigwigs saw the UK Brexit debate
2. Petition for second referendum crashes
An online petition demanding a second referendum has crashed the Parliament’s ‘Petitions’ website. At the time of writing, the petition has been signed by 91,150 people, but many would-be signatories are unable to get online.
The petition has already passed the 10,000 signature milestone that forces the government to issue a response. It’s now fast-approaching the 100,000 mark, which means the petition will be considered for debate in Parliament.
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The web-masters have confirmed that they’re aware of the problem and are working on a fix.
3. Bitcoin is surging
It’s not all bad news, mind. Bitcoin, the world’s best known digital currency, has rocketed in value, rising to an incredible $768.24 per unit. That’s compared to its $417 price at the start of April, and the $561.46 value on polling day – Thursday, June 23. At the time of writing, Bitcoin is worth $662.86.
The news comes at the British pound tumbles to a 30-year low when priced against the dollar as a result of yesterday’s Brexit vote.
4. XE.com is down
XE.com, the world’s biggest online currency exchange, has also collapsed under increased traffic. The Canada-based exchange is currently inaccessible for many users
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The Refresh: Catch up on the latest news
What’s your take on Brexit’s impact so far? Let us know in the comments.