Nitter, the open-source project that allowed users to view X posts without logging in, has been archived and appears to have reached the end of active development. XCancel, one of the most prominent services powered by Nitter, has also suspended operations again amid ongoing legal proceedings involving X.
The developments follow a cease-and-desist notice that X sent to Nitter last month. After briefly returning online in early September, both projects have now faced fresh setbacks.
Legal Pressure Escalates
Nitter was designed to let users read public posts from X without using the platform’s app or creating an account. The project became the foundation for services such as XCancel and several community-operated instances.
Last month, X accused Nitter of the “unlawful use and circumvention” of its API and related data. According to the company, Nitter scraped data from the platform to gain access to accounts and session tokens in violation of X’s rules.
Despite the legal threat, the project’s developers stated on Nitter’s official GitHub repository that, following legal advice, the project would continue. The team also indicated that further details would be provided later.
Both Nitter and XCancel resumed service in early September after a short interruption. However, that recovery proved temporary.
Nitter And XCancel Shut Down Again
Nitter’s GitHub repository was archived on September 11, placing it in read-only mode. The status means the project can no longer receive updates or modifications.
On September 15, XCancel suspended its service and posted a notice on its official website. The statement said, “Unfortunately, due to a new development in the ongoing legal proceedings, we are required to suspend this service again until further notice.”
The service did not provide additional details about the legal development referenced in the announcement. The suspension remains in effect.
Long-Running Battle Over Third-Party Access
Nitter worked by retrieving public posts from X and presenting them without advertisements, tracking cookies, or JavaScript. The approach provided users with a simplified way to browse public content while avoiding many features of the main platform.
For X, such services allow users to access content without generating advertising revenue. The company has previously restricted third-party access to its platform, a policy discussed in a previous TechCrunch report.
This was not the first challenge faced by Nitter. In 2024, its primary instance, Nitter.net, temporarily went offline after X introduced new API restrictions.
Following those changes, operators who wanted to host a Nitter instance were required to connect it to a legitimate X account. The latest developments suggest that the legal dispute has created further obstacles for the project and services that relied on it.
Featured image credits: Magnific.com
For more stories like it, click the +Follow button at the top of this page to follow us.