Nitter instances increase after takedowns
Archived — this story has rotated out of today’s deck. It is kept here in full.
The gist
X Corp. sent cease-and-desist letters on Aug 24, 2026, demanding Nitter and Xcancel takedowns. New Nitter instances emerged after shutdowns, keeping Twitter access alive.
Background
Nitter is a free and open-source alternative front-end for Twitter (now X) that allows users to read tweets without ads, tracking, or JavaScript. Xcancel is a similar service. On August 24, 2026, X Corp. sent cease-and-desist letters demanding permanent takedowns of Nitter instances and the project's repository, leading to shutdowns of major instances like xcancel.com and nitter.poast.org. However, the Nitter community responded by updating its instance list, showing an increase in working instances, including new ones, to circumvent the takedowns.
How it unfolded
- Aug 24, 2026X Corp. sent cease-and-desist letters to Nitter and Xcancel, demanding permanent takedown of instances and the repository.
- Sep 1, 2026Techdirt reported that X killed Nitter and Xcancel, the last ways to read tweets without Elon watching.
- Sep 3, 2026The Nitter instances wiki page was updated, listing multiple working instances, including new ones, indicating an increase after takedowns.
Who’s saying what
- Official
- X Corp. demands takedown of Nitter instances and repository, citing legal action.
- Public
- Techdirt criticizes X's actions, calling it a threat to free and open-source developers and a First Amendment issue.