X, previously recognised as Twitter, temporarily postponed the loading of links directing to content on esteemed news sources like Reuters and The New York Times, as well as its competitors including Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram, as per a report by The Washington Post. Upon attempting to access a link from X leading to the aforementioned websites, users experienced an approximate delay of five seconds before the webpage displayed, according to findings presented by The Washington Post. Corresponding tests conducted by Reuters also unveiled a similar delay effect.
However, as of late Tuesday afternoon, X reportedly appeared to have rectified the delay issue. ABP Live couldn't register any noticeable lag when accessing the aforementioned pages on X.
In response to inquiries, X acknowledged the removal of the delay, yet refrained from providing additional details on the matter.
Elon Musk, the billionaire entrepreneur who acquired Twitter in October, has previously voiced criticism towards news organisations and journalists who have reported unfavourably on his various ventures, including Tesla and SpaceX. Notably, Twitter had previously implemented measures to prevent users from sharing links to rival social media platforms.
The exact initiation time of X's delay of links to select websites couldn't be precisely determined by Reuters.
An observant user on Hacker News, a prominent tech forum, posted a notice about the delay earlier on Tuesday, asserting that X initiated the link delay with regards to The New York Times on August 4th. Notably, Musk had taken issue with the publication's coverage of South Africa on that same day, even accusing it of endorsing genocidal inclinations. However, Reuters cannot substantiate any direct correlation between these events.
In response to the situation, a spokesperson for The New York Times expressed the publication's lack of communication from X concerning the link delay, reported Reuters. The spokesperson voiced concerns on Tuesday, stating, "While we remain uncertain about the reasoning behind the implementation of this time delay, we are apprehensive about any targeted influence exerted on news organisations without clear motivations."