US tech firms lobbied EU to keep datacentre emissions secret
5 hours ago
- #datacentre regulation
- #tech lobbying
- #environmental transparency
- Tech companies successfully lobbied the EU to hide datacentre environmental data from public view.
- A confidentiality clause added to EU rules blocks public access to individual datacentre green metrics.
- The rise of AI is driving rapid datacentre construction, often powered by fossil fuels.
- Legal experts warn this secrecy violates EU transparency rules and the Aarhus convention.
- The European Commission has already used the clause to refuse media and public data requests.
- Microsoft and industry groups advocated for confidentiality, citing commercial interests.
- Researchers struggle to assess environmental impacts without access to detailed datacentre data.