X sends cease-and-desist to open-source project Nitter over alleged scraping
X sends cease-and-desist to open-source project Nitter over alleged scraping
X 向开源项目 Nitter 发出停止侵权函，指控其非法抓取数据
Nitter, an open source project that allowed people to read X posts without logging into or even opening the X app, has received cease-and-desist letters from X demanding that it shut down. The news was shared via a brief message posted to the project’s website, and follows X’s earlier attempts to knock Nitter offline by technical means. Nitter 是一个开源项目，允许用户在无需登录甚至无需打开 X 应用的情况下阅读 X 帖子。该项目近日收到了来自 X 的停止侵权函（cease-and-desist letters），要求其关闭。这一消息通过项目网站上发布的一则简短声明传出，此前 X 曾多次尝试通过技术手段迫使 Nitter 下线。
The service also powers a number of other sites, including XCancel, that allow people to view X posts directly. This isn’t X’s first attempt to shut down Nitter. In 2024, Nitter’s flagship instance, Nitter.net, went dark temporarily after X rolled out new API restrictions. Nitter worked by fetching public X posts and then stripping out the ads, tracking cookies, and JavaScript, giving people a clean, clutter-free way to read posts without an account or the app. 该服务还为包括 XCancel 在内的多个网站提供支持，使用户能够直接查看 X 帖子。这并非 X 首次试图关闭 Nitter。2024 年，在 X 推出新的 API 限制后，Nitter 的旗舰实例 Nitter.net 曾短暂下线。Nitter 的工作原理是抓取公开的 X 帖子，然后剔除其中的广告、追踪 Cookie 和 JavaScript，为用户提供了一种无需账号或应用即可阅读帖子的简洁、无干扰方式。
After that crackdown, those who wanted to host a Nitter instance had to connect it to a real X account, according to the project’s GitHub page. Despite the restrictions, development picked back up and Nitter instances came back online. This time, X is working to shut down Nitter and its instances via legal means. 根据该项目的 GitHub 页面显示，在那次打压之后，想要托管 Nitter 实例的用户必须将其连接到一个真实的 X 账号。尽管受到限制，但开发工作并未停止，Nitter 实例也得以重新上线。而这一次，X 正试图通过法律手段彻底关闭 Nitter 及其所有实例。
Nitter’s website states that the Nitter.net project is offline while its creator seeks legal advice after receiving a cease-and-desist letter. That creator, a developer who goes by the handle Zedeus, told TechCrunch by email that other Nitter instances received similar letters. Nitter 网站声明称，在收到停止侵权函后，其创建者正在寻求法律建议，目前 Nitter.net 项目已下线。该创建者是一位网名为 Zedeus 的开发者，他在给 TechCrunch 的电子邮件中表示，其他 Nitter 实例也收到了类似的信函。
On Nitter’s website, the message currently reads: “On 24 August 2026 cease and desist letters have been sent by X Corp. demanding a permanent takedown of Nitter instances and the project’s repository. nitter.net is offline and development has stopped for the time being. I’m seeking legal advice and won’t be commenting further on the specifics for now. Thank you to everyone who used, hosted, packaged, donated and contributed to Nitter over the past seven years.” Nitter 网站上目前的公告写道：“2026 年 8 月 24 日，X 公司发送了停止侵权函，要求永久关闭 Nitter 实例及项目代码库。nitter.net 现已下线，开发工作暂时停止。我正在寻求法律建议，目前不会对具体细节发表进一步评论。感谢过去七年来所有使用、托管、打包、捐赠和为 Nitter 做出贡献的人们。”
The letter from X, which TechCrunch has viewed, accuses Nitter of an “unlawful use and circumvention of X’s Application Programming Interface (API) and associated data,” through its service, saying that X has evidence that Nitter scraped X data and accessed X accounts and session tokens in violation of X’s rules. Lawyers for X said the actions are in violation of “various state and federal laws, including, but not limited to, the Texas Harmful Access by Computer Act (§ 143.001 and § 33.02) and the Lanham Act (15 U.S.C. §§ 1114, 1125).” The letter gave Nitter until 5 p.m. EST on August 25 to shut down. TechCrunch 查看了 X 发出的这封信函，信中指控 Nitter 通过其服务“非法使用并规避了 X 的应用程序接口 (API) 及相关数据”，并称 X 有证据表明 Nitter 违反了 X 的规则，抓取了 X 的数据并访问了 X 账号及会话令牌。X 的律师表示，这些行为违反了“多项州和联邦法律，包括但不限于《德克萨斯州计算机有害访问法》（第 143.001 条和第 33.02 条）以及《兰哈姆法案》（美国法典第 15 卷第 1114、1125 条）”。信中要求 Nitter 在美东时间 8 月 25 日下午 5 点前关闭。
X is hardly alone in policing alleged scrapers. Meta has taken numerous scrapers to court, and most larger social networks today restrict the use of third-party readers, forcing users to log in and access the site’s content through the official app, where they can be tracked and shown personalized ads. 在打击所谓“数据抓取者”方面，X 并非孤例。Meta 曾多次将数据抓取方告上法庭，如今大多数大型社交网络都限制使用第三方阅读器，强制用户登录并通过官方应用访问网站内容，以便对其进行追踪并展示个性化广告。
It’s an unfortunate development for lurkers, given that Nitter and its instances offered a handy way to keep up with certain people’s posts on X without an account. Now those people will either need to give up that access or, as X likely hopes, create an account and log in. 对于那些“潜水”用户来说，这是一个不幸的消息，因为 Nitter 及其相关实例提供了一种无需账号即可便捷关注 X 上特定用户动态的方式。现在，这些人要么放弃这种访问方式，要么正如 X 所希望的那样，注册账号并登录使用。