X, formerly known as Twitter, made a move that left users in dismay. Indeed, some of the oldest tweets have simply been deleted from the platform.
X has probably just cleaned up his platform. Old posts containing images or hyperlinks, especially those converted by Twitter’s built-in URL shortener, were deleted over the weekend. The issue was brought to light when Tom Coates and Brazilian vtuber @DaniloTakagi pointed it out, raising concerns about the preservation of digital content.
The decision seems relate to almost all tweets containing media from before December 2014. It seems that only images and links are affected, while videos remain untouched. Links to external websites, including popular platforms like YouTube, are now reduced to non-working t.co URLs.
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X cleans up its platform and deletes many tweets
A poignant example is the iconic 2014 Oscars selfie shared by Ellen DeGeneres, featuring the likes of Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence. The post garnered massive attention, becoming the “most retweeted of all time” with a staggering 2 million shares. Although the image disappeared temporarily due to the problem, it was fortunately saved on X’s servers.
While this was originally thought to be a new money-saving tactic by Elon Musk, the fact that the underlying media content remains intact suggests this is likely an unintended malfunction. , rather than a deliberate decision.
By the way, it is interesting to note that not all images and all historical links have been affected. An image tweeted by President Barack Obama’s account following his re-election campaign in 2012 remains accessible.
Despite widespread user concern, X has yet to issue an official statement on this issue. What is certain is that it raises questions about digital preservation and the vulnerabilities that even large tech companies can face.