Microsoft and other US tech companies successfully lobbied the EU to hide the environmental toll of their datacentres, an investigation has found, with demands to block a database of green metrics from public view written almost word for word into EU rules.
The secrecy provision, which the European Commission added to its proposal almost verbatim after industry lobbying in 2024, hinders scrutiny of the pollution that individual datacentres emit. It leaves researchers with just national-level summaries of their energy footprints.
The rise of AI chatbots has spurred a boom in the construction of chip-filled warehouses with a hunger for power that is being met, in part, by burning fossil gas. Legal scholars warn the blanket confidentiality clause may fall foul of EU transparency rules and the Aarhus convention on public access to environmental information.
“In two decades, I cannot recall a comparable case,” said Prof Jerzy Jendrośka, who spent 19 years on the body overseeing the convention and teaches environmental law at the University of Opole in Poland. “This clearly seems not to be in line with the convention.”
The corruption needs to stop. Eat the rich.
Perhaps we shouldn’t send politicians burned by domestic corruption scandals to Brussels. 🤔
No one should fail upwards.
Okay so we’ve all been saying this since when?
When?
When does it start?
Now?
How about now?
Now??
I mean, gotta start somewhere. I too would like to see more direct action in play but we’re trying to motivate nations here, tens or hundreds of millions of people.
Take no kings, I get that it’s been toothless, but it built a large following and the next one is calling for action. It probably won’t work, probably won’t be enough, but it will build momentum, and the next gets more, the next more still. This is obviously US focused (I’m American but this shit has gone global).
It took them a very long time to infiltrate the governments, this has been going on for decades. We won’t be able to solve it in a weekend. It’s going to take time and hard work to fix this shit.
I mean some people have started see Luigi, warehouse guy, guy who threw moltov at Sam Altmans house, guy shooting at politicians home for voting in favor of an AI datacenter in their town, and I am sure there are more that I am unaware of too.
Anyone opposed to this just wants school shootings to keep escalating.
dont want people to know how badly it is polluting the area around data centers, and the cost of electricity, and fuel.
Literal corruption
Why the F do we care about what US companies wants? Stay the F away from EU soil if decency, ethics and laws doesn’t fit your style.
Politicians care because they literally get bribes for this shit
I believe the proper nomenclature is lobbied. Therefore it’s legal and okay. Definitely not just another word for bribery and corruption, no no no.
Don’t look inside that brown envelope under the table!
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Again, not German and I’m a leftist Anarchist, also an anti-capitalist. And yes I can read French, again I’m not German.
Oh wait youre german???
AHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHA
Not German.
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Not German, go on guessing ;-)
I keep reading about lobbying. I don’t fully understand how it works. Are there requirements for disclosure, approval and public transparency, or is this just something individual politicians or groups can do just like that?
Its just bribes, but, like, formal.
It’s supposed to be a way (groups of) people can make their case to the legislative branch to inform them about their issues and propose ways to resolve them.
In reality it’s just legal corruption used by magacorporations to screw over the aforementioned people.
It’s a bribe by another name.
It’s not an illegal bribe, if we legalise it and call it lobbying. *taps head
