Nitter and XCancel are dead (again) after X’s latest legal actions

After X, the massive social media platform, threatened legal action last month, Nitter and XCancel, privacy-focused services used to view X posts without creating an account, appear to have officially ceased operations for good. Nitter, an open-source project enabling users to access X posts without logging in, was instrumental in powering several services, including XCancel and others.

However, in a recent turn of events, X sent Nitter a cease-and-desist letter alleging "unlawful use and circumvention" of X's API and associated data. According to X, Nitter had scraped the social network's data, accessing accounts and session tokens, all in violation of its terms of service. Despite the threat, Nitter had initially stated on its GitHub page that the Nitter project would continue.

However, the project's GitHub page was archived on September 11, indicating it has now entered a read-only status and is no longer capable of modifications or updates. XCancel, another privacy-oriented service, shut down its service on Monday, confirming on its homepage that due to a "new development in the ongoing legal proceedings," the service must remain suspended until further notice.

Nitter, which fetched public X posts and removed ads, tracking cookies, and JavaScript, provided a clean and clutter-free means for users to read posts without needing an account or the social network's application. For X, this outcome is regrettable, as it seeks to prevent unauthorized access to content without monetizing those views through ads.

The company had previously disallowed third-party apps from accessing its content, leading to the demise of popular services like Twitterific and Tweetbot. The closure of these services is disheartening for those who relied on them to view X's activities without participating on the platform or contributing to its user growth. However, Nitter did not respond to a request for comment, leaving the reasons for the service's inability to provide further updates unclear.