The former Twitter company, now called X, has deliberately slowed down the loading speed of links to news organizations and online competitors, such as the New York Times and Facebook. This move seems to be targeted at companies that have drawn the ire of owner Elon Musk. Users who clicked on a link to one of the targeted websites experienced a delay of about five seconds before the page loaded. Interestingly, X has now started reversing the throttling on some sites, although it is unclear if all the affected websites have had their normal service restored.
The delay in accessing these websites was caused by the t.co domain, which X uses to process every link posted to the website. By routing traffic through this domain, X can track and control activity to the target website, potentially affecting their traffic and ad revenue. Musk has previously ridiculed or attacked these websites, including Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, Substack, Reuters, and the New York Times.
It is worth noting that the throttling did not affect links to most other sites, including The Washington Post, Fox News, Mastodon, and YouTube. These links were routed to their final destination within a second or less. The delays were first brought to attention by a user on the technology forum Hacker News.
Neither Musk nor X has responded to requests for comment on the matter. The targeted companies are reviewing the situation but have not received any explanation from the platform. The New York Times expressed concern over the time delay and questioned the rationale behind it, stating that it would be worried about targeted pressure on news organizations for unclear reasons. Substack, on the other hand, urged X to reverse the decision, emphasizing the importance of reliable platforms for writers to build sustainable businesses.
Typically, online companies invest heavily in optimizing website speed, knowing that even small delays can lead to a decrease in traffic as users become impatient and go elsewhere. A Google study found that over half of users would abandon a website if it took longer than three seconds to load. The New York Times has reportedly seen a drop in traffic from X since the delays started.
Yoel Roth, Twitter’s former head of trust and safety, commented that delays like these can be off-putting and may drive people away. It is unclear when the delays started, but an anonymous user on Hacker News reported delays in accessing links to the Times since August 4. On that day, Musk criticized the news organization and called for subscribers to cancel their subscriptions. Musk has previously berated the Times and even removed their “verified” badge on Twitter.
The delays also affected X’s competitors in social media, including Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. These platforms are owned by Meta, whose founder Mark Zuckerberg has an ongoing online feud with Musk. X also limited traffic to Bluesky, a platform started by former Twitter chief Jack Dorsey, who has criticized Musk’s leadership. The throttling also extended to Substack, an email newsletter platform that operates its own short-text service.
It is evident that Musk has no qualms about using X’s technical tools to pursue personal grudges. In the past, Twitter banned an account that tracked Musk’s private jet and suspended the account of Mastodon for referring to the banned account in a tweet. Twitter also made it more difficult for users to access Mastodon by marking the website as “unsafe” and blocking users from adding Mastodon links to their profiles. The banned account now posts on Threads, Mastodon, and Bluesky.
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