X (Twitter) Appears To Slow Down Links To Sites Boss Elon Musk Has Had Beef With

In a new twist for the ever-evolving landscape of Elon Musk’s X, reports are surfacing that the tech magnate might be wielding his influence to introduce an unconventional tactic: slowing down load times for websites he deems as adversaries.

Purportedly, when clicking on hyperlinks to certain high-profile websites, including The New York Times, Bluesky, Mastodon, Reuters, Substack, and Threads from within the X browser, a discernible delay of approximately five seconds disrupts the flow.

The anomaly was first noticed on August 4, as vigilant members of the Hacker News forum identified the lag and subsequently alerted The Washington Post. This delay, it seems, selectively targets platforms and publications that have previously found themselves at odds with Musk.

According to Variety, following the revelation, it seems like links to The New York Times and Reuters have now been fixed. However, Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey’s Bluesky and email newsletter platform Substack are still experiencing hold-ups.

The deliberate nature of these digital hiccups is suggested by the seeming exclusivity to websites and entities that the Tesla and SpaceX CEO has publicly criticized. Musk’s history of locking horns with competitors such as Substack, Mastodon, and his on-again, off-again boxing match with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, along with his openly contentious relationship with The New York Times, paints a backdrop of the possible intention behind the delay.

A spokesperson from The New York Times has acknowledged the situation, expressing concern over the potential for targeted pressure on news organizations. The ramifications of such actions, particularly without transparent justifications, have ignited conversations about the ethics of leveraging one’s influence to impede that of perceived rivals.

[via Engadget and Variety, Photo 284999858© Yalcinsonat | Dreamstime.com]