X Shuts Down Privacy-Focused Front-Ends Nitter and XCancel

X has successfully pushed two privacy-focused services, Nitter and XCancel, offline following legal threats, as TechCrunch first reported. According to TechCrunch, X issued a cease-and-desist letter to Nitter last month, alleging the open-source project engaged in the "unlawful use and circumvention" of X's API and data by scraping the platform to access session tokens and accounts in violation of company rules.

Nitter functioned by retrieving public posts and stripping away JavaScript, tracking cookies, and advertisements, allowing users to view content without an account or the official app. XCancel relied on Nitter to provide similar functionality. While Nitter initially claimed on its GitHub page that it would continue following legal advice, the project's GitHub page was archived on Friday, September 11, moving to a read-only status. XCancel subsequently suspended its service on Monday, citing new developments in ongoing legal proceedings.

TechCrunch reports that X's motivation stems from a desire to monetize views through ads, which is impossible when users utilize these third-party front-ends. This move follows a pattern of restricting third-party access, which previously eliminated apps such as Tweetbot and Twitterrific. Nitter had previously faced a crackdown in 2024 when X implemented new API restrictions, forcing instance hosts to connect to actual X accounts. Nitter did not respond to requests for comment.