Elon Musk's X appears to have throttled access to websites he doesn't like, then removed the delay when people noticed

• X links to the New York Times and Reuters previously took around five seconds to load.
• But after several news outlets reported on this, the delays were resolved.

Elon Musk's X appeared to throttle access to some websites that its billionaire owner has previously insulted and then resolved the issue after reports came out on Tuesday.

Links to The New York Times and Reuters previously took around five seconds to load when Insider tested them, compared to around one second for other websites. The Washington Post reported that links to Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, and Substack were also delayed.

The throttling is possible because X redirects all posted links through a shortened URL, which helps save characters and track the number of clicks.

The websites impacted have been singled out by Musk in the past.

When Twitter implemented changes to its verification system, the New York Times became the first and only previously-verified account to lose its checkmark. The newspaper had said it wouldn't pay for Twitter's Verified Organizations feature, which costs $1,000 a month.

Musk has previously called the NYT "an unregistered lobbying firm for far-left politicians."

He also disparaged Reuters last Wednesday, posting: "Reuters and facts are not well acquainted."

At the end of July, the news agency published an investigation into Tesla, which reported that Musk's company had created a secret team to suppress complaints about driving range.

The delayed links were first flagged by an unnamed X user on Hacker News. According to The Post, the user – who wished to remain anonymous to protect their identity – said these delays have been an issue since August 4.

Some users have also said they experienced delays on links to Threads, the Twitter competitor app launched by Meta last month.

Mark Zuckerberg responded with a thinking face emoji to a screenshot of the Hacker News post about the delay.

Musk has previously called himself a "free speech absolutist," but even before buying Twitter he had a history of retaliating against critics.

X did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.