Twitter, the popular social media platform, has been accused of applying a five-second delay, known as throttling, to certain websites including the New York Times, Reuters, Instagram, and Blue Sky. According to the Washington Post, this delay seemed to target competitors to Twitter as well as news publications that have been critical of Twitter owner Elon Musk.
The Washington Post conducted tests and found that when users clicked on a link on Twitter that directed them to another site, they were met with a blank screen that lasted for a few seconds. This delay appeared to only affect t.co links, which is a service that processes and shortens links posted on Twitter. However, by Tuesday afternoon, the issue seemed to have been resolved, with links opening within a second of clicking.
Elon Musk has been engaged in an ongoing battle with the press, and this latest incident adds to the tension. In April, Twitter labeled the BBC and NPR as “state-affiliated media,” a move that sparked outrage from the outlets and their staff. As a result, NPR announced on April 12 that they were quitting Twitter, and their flagship page has remained inactive since then.
In the same month, Twitter also started marking links to Substack, an independent content publishing platform, as unsafe. This decision came after Substack introduced a new feature called “Substack Notes,” which aimed to provide a Twitter-like experience for newsletter authors and their readers, some of whom are paying subscribers. Substack argued that Notes and Twitter could coexist and complement each other, rather than being direct competitors.
Twitter, now known as X, has not yet responded to a request for comment from the Guardian regarding these allegations. The incident raises concerns about the power and influence of social media platforms in controlling access to information and potentially suppressing critical voices.
How does the alleged five-second delay on specific websites by Twitter impact competition and freedom of speech?
Twitter, the popular social media platform, has come under fire for allegedly implementing a five-second delay, known as throttling, on specific websites. The affected sites include the New York Times, Reuters, Instagram, and Blue Sky. According to reports by the Washington Post, this delay seemed to target competitors to Twitter and news publications that have been openly critical of Twitter’s owner, Elon Musk.
The Washington Post conducted tests and discovered that when users clicked on a link on Twitter that directed them to another website, they experienced a few seconds of a blank screen. This delay only seemed to impact t.co links, a service that processes and shortens links posted on Twitter. However, by Tuesday afternoon, the issue appeared to have been resolved, with links opening within a second of being clicked.
This incident has added to the ongoing tension between Elon Musk and the press. In April, Twitter labeled the BBC and NPR as “state-affiliated media,” a move that resulted in outrage from the affected outlets and their staff. Consequently, NPR announced their decision to quit Twitter on April 12, and their flagship page has been inactive since then.
During that same month, Twitter began marking links to Substack, an independent content publishing platform, as unsafe. This decision came after Substack introduced a new feature called “Substack Notes” that aimed to provide a Twitter-like experience for newsletter authors and their paying subscribers. Substack argued that the two platforms could coexist and complement each other, rather than being direct competitors.
Twitter, now known as X, has yet to respond to the allegations raised by the Guardian. This incident raises concerns about the influence and power social media platforms hold in controlling access to information and potentially silencing critical voices.
