X/Twitter Grapples with Link Issues

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The social media platform previously known as Twitter, now owned by Elon Musk, faced technical issues on Wednesday, disrupting the functionality of posted links for approximately 45 minutes.

During the outage, when users attempted to access URLs posted on the platform, X’s t.co redirecting service displayed an error message stating, “This page is down.” In certain browsers, the error message featured a playful note, saying, “I scream. You scream. We all scream… for us to fix this page. We’ll stop making jokes and get things up and running soon.”

X utilizes its proprietary link-shortening service, t.co, explaining on its website that shortened links enable users to share lengthy URLs while preserving the maximum character count for their messages. X’s link service tracks data such as the number of clicks, considering it an essential metric for evaluating post relevance and interest.

According to X, users are not given the option to opt out of link shortening.

In March 2023, X/Twitter encountered technical glitches, presenting users with an unusual error message for almost an hour. The message stated, “Your current API plan does not include access to this endpoint, please see https://developer.twitter.com/en/docs/twitter-api for more information.” Twitter attributed the disruption to “an internal change that had some unintended consequences.” The Verge reported that the error resulted from an error made by the service’s lone remaining site reliability engineer — the last one remaining after Musk’s significant layoffs.

In addition to these issues, X/Twitter faced other challenges, such as spontaneous logouts of web users in May and, in June, unannounced access restrictions for non-registered users. Musk described the latter as a “temporary emergency measure” in response to alleged data scraping and system overloads by third-party companies.

This news has been read 1594 times!