The X platform slowed down the speed at which users could access links to sites that had caused dissatisfaction with company owner Elon Musk, writes The Washington Post.
The newspaper even ran a demonstration test. Users who clicked on one of the targeted pages using the link to X had to wait about five seconds.
Various resources have faced this problem, including online competitors to Elon Musk's platform: Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky and Substack. The situation also affected Reuters and the Times newspaper.
Shortly after this information was posted, the situation changed and the speed of the platform to site transition returned to normal. However, it is not known whether this applies to all links or only selected ones.
Companies that have encountered this problem are conducting appropriate reviews. For example, The Times spokesman Charlie Stadtlander said the publication made its own observations about systemic delays and did not receive an explanation from the platform for the move.
“While we don’t know the rationale behind the application of this time delay, we would be concerned by targeted pressure applied to any news organization for unclear reasons,” he said.
At the same time, Substack co-founders Chris Best, Hamish Mackenzie, and Jairaj Sethi emphasized in a statement to The Post that they urged X to reverse its decision to delay Substack links.
"Writers cannot build sustainable businesses if their connection to their audience depends on unreliable platforms that have proven they are willing to make changes that are hostile to the people who use them," they noted.
As you know, Internet companies spend millions of dollars to make their websites load as quickly as possible. The fact is, even small delays can cause a big drop in traffic as users lose patience and move on to other sites. Google's 2016 mobile traffic study found that 53% of users leave a website if it takes more than three seconds to load.