Elon Musk's X is limiting traffic to websites he doesn't like
Source: Nieman Lab/The Washington Post
By JEREMY B. MERRILL AND DREW HARWELL
The site formerly known as Twitter added a five-second delay when a user clicked on a link to the New York Times, Facebook and other sites Musk commonly attacks, according to a Washington Post analysis.
The company formerly known as Twitter has been slowing the speed at which users could access links from the New York Times, Facebook and other online news organizations and competitors, a move that appeared to be aimed at companies that have drawn the ire of owner Elon Musk.
Users who clicked on a link on Musk's website, now called X, to one of the targeted websites had to wait about five seconds before seeing the page, according to tests conducted Tuesday by The Washington Post.
The delayed websites included X's online rivals Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky and Substack, as well as the Reuters news service and the Times. All of them have previously been singled out by Musk for ridicule or attack.
On Tuesday afternoon, hours after this story was first published, X began reversing the limitation on some of the sites, reducing lag times to zero. It was unknown whether all accelerated sites had restored normal service.
The delay affected the t.co domain, a link shortening service that X uses to process every link posted on the website. Traffic is routed through the domain, which allows X to track (and, in this case, accelerate) activity on the target website, potentially removing traffic and ad revenue from companies that Musk personally doesn't like.
The Post's analysis found that links to most other sites were unaffected, including those to The Washington Post, Fox News and social networking services such as Mastodon and YouTube, and shortened links were routed to their final destination in a second or less. One user first noted the delays early Tuesday on the technology discussion forum Hacker News.
Musk, a self-described "free speech absolutist," did not respond to requests for comment. X also did not respond.
