Nitter and XCancel, two privacy-oriented services for accessing X content, have officially ceased operations after legal threats from X last month.
Nitter, an open-source platform that allowed users to view X posts without an account, had been instrumental in powering various services, including XCancel. However, X sent a cease-and-desist letter to Nitter, alleging “unlawful use and circumvention” of its API and data.
X’s complaint claimed that Nitter had scraped data from the social network, accessing accounts and session tokens in violation of its terms of service.
Despite the looming legal action, Nitter initially announced on its GitHub that it would continue operations, stating it was following legal counsel and would provide updates soon. In early September, both Nitter and XCancel had resumed their services after a brief suspension.
However, the situation has since deteriorated. Nitter’s GitHub repository was archived on September 11, marking it as read-only, indicating no further modifications can be made. XCancel subsequently halted its service on Monday, posting a notice on its homepage stating, “Unfortunately, due to a new development in the ongoing legal proceedings, we are required to suspend this service again until further notice.”
Nitter functioned by retrieving public posts from X and removing ads, tracking cookies, and JavaScript, offering a streamlined reading experience without the need for an account or the official app. However, this model conflicted with X’s business interests, as the platform prefers users to engage with content that can be monetized through advertisements.
This latest shutdown marks a significant move by X, who has previously attempted to curtail Nitter’s operations. In 2024, Nitter’s primary instance was temporarily taken offline after X implemented stricter API regulations. Following that, hosting a Nitter instance necessitated linking it to a legitimate X account.
For users who preferred to observe without participating, the closure of these services is disappointing, as they provided a means to stay updated on X activities without contributing to user growth on the platform.
Nitter did not provide any comments in response to requests for information.
