Big Tech Secrecy in EU Data Centre Energy Reporting
Big Tech companies, including Microsoft and Google, allegedly influenced EU law to obscure the environmental energy consumption of data centers.
April 2026
Google data center linked to natural gas power source
Documents indicated one of Google’s new data centers would be powered by a natural gas plant. This facility was estimated to emit millions of tons of emissions annually.
Source ↗Investigation finds US tech firms influenced EU data centre reporting
An investigation found that Microsoft and other US tech companies successfully lobbied the EU. Their lobbying efforts allegedly resulted in provisions that hide the environmental toll of their datacentres.
Source ↗Microsoft helped secure secrecy provision in EU law
Microsoft and DigitalEurope secured a secrecy provision within EU law. This provision reportedly blocks public access to critical information regarding data centers' environmental impact.
Source ↗Microsoft and DigitalEurope secured secrecy provision in EU law
Microsoft and DigitalEurope, a lobby group including Amazon, Google, and Meta, reportedly secured a secrecy provision within EU law. This provision allegedly blocks public access to critical information regarding data centers’ environmental impact.
Source ↗EU Commission policy on data centres restricts energy/water use data
The EU Commission established a policy regarding data centres that keeps energy and water usage information private. Research by Corporate and Europe Observatory and AlgorithmWatch revealed this policy structure.
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