X Demands Permanent Nitter Shutdown Over Alleged API Scraping
X orders Nitter and its mirrors offline, alleging illegal API circumvention and scraping, as the open source reader pauses development and seeks counsel.
Summary
X Corp sent cease and desist letters on August 24, 2026, demanding permanent removal of Nitter instances and the project repository by 5 p.m. EST on August 25. Nitter.net is offline, development has stopped temporarily, and creator Zedeus is seeking legal advice after seven years of operation. Zedeus said multiple instance operators received letters. X alleges Nitter circumvented its API, scraped X data, and accessed accounts and session tokens, violating platform rules, the Texas Harmful Access by Computer Act, sections 143.001 and 33.02, and Lanham Act sections 1114 and 1125.
Nitter displayed public X posts without requiring an account or the X app, removing ads, tracking cookies, and JavaScript, while powering third party readers including XCancel. X API restrictions temporarily disabled Nitter.net in 2024, after which hosts needed real X accounts, but development and instances returned. The legal action could now eliminate account free access, leaving readers to abandon those posts or join X. Meta has also sued alleged scrapers, while major social networks increasingly restrict third party readers to keep users inside tracked, personalized advertising apps.
Positives
- Nitter provided seven years of account free access to public X posts without ads, tracking cookies, or JavaScript.
- Development and independent instances recovered after X API restrictions temporarily disabled Nitter.net in 2024.
- Zedeus is seeking legal advice before deciding the project’s next step.
- XCancel and other third party sites expanded access by using Nitter to display X posts directly.
Risks & concerns
- X Corp demanded permanent removal of Nitter instances and its repository by 5 p.m. EST on August 25, 2026.
- Nitter.net is offline and development has stopped temporarily following the cease and desist letters.
- X alleges Nitter scraped data, circumvented its API, and accessed accounts and session tokens unlawfully.
- The cited Texas and federal claims expose Nitter and instance operators to potentially significant legal risk.
- Permanent closure would force account free readers either to lose access to X posts or create X accounts.
