game offline - but how does uplay know?

I was unable to logon for a couple of hours tonight. I got the usual and extremely frustrating 'refresh browser' message and eventually the 'uplay service unavailable' message. I checked with my friends and they were also getting these messages.

As I sat here waiting and watching youtube vids, I thought - how does uplay know when this happens?
You could send an email, but its the middle of the night at uplay HQ, so no one will see it until tomorrow.
No one can logon and post in the forums that they cant logon, not that anyone would see it - middle of the night still.

So how does it work, how does someone at uplay get a message to go check the server?
Is it some sort of timer that goes 'ding' when no one has logged on for three hours?
Or may its a counter that goes ' wonk wonk wonk' when the number of online players hits zero?
In the movies they always have a pair of flashing red lights hanging from the ceiling, I wonder they have them to, hmmm. . .

There is a Facebook page for the game. And when the game goes down it becomes just like you beloved Youtube with the most hateful comments you have ever seen. Also I assume people show up with pitchforks and torches at their headquarters.