Have portals stopped spilling XM?

For a few days (maybe weeks?) I have been noticing that in Ingress there is no XM concentrated around portals anymore. The only way to collect XM now is to visit busy places, where it is laying around as usual.

Is it intended behavior that portals have stopped spilling XM, or is this simply a bug? Is there a official statement from Niantic regarding this?

Solution 1:

This is something intended by Niantic. You can find an entire article redacted by Niantic about the matter on this page :

The current XM drought is the clear consequence of the Acolyte’s deployment of the Obsidian Shield. The technology had powers beyond what she had anticipated, and while it’s easy to cast the blame on her and the Enlightened, she was only one half of an equation: Jahan and the Resistance were pushing just as hard to meddle with this ancient force, and now we are seeing the results of their hubris and ambition.

To sum up : it's part of Ingress' story. So this is not a bug.