US tech firms successfully lobbied EU to keep datacentre emissions secret
The Guardian published an article today about how the European Commission’s allowed for expansive confidentiality for data centres’ reporting of energy consumption and emissions. Kristina Irion who commented on this approach concluded that this is a violation of EU law. She said the “sweeping presumption of confidentiality” incorrectly benefits corporate interests over public access to at least some of the data. “What deserves protection as confidential information affecting the commercial interests of datacentre companies should be determined on a case-by-case basis.”
This investigation was led and coordinated by Investigate Europe, a cross-border journalism team. The story is being published with media partners including Die Zeit, El País, EU Observer, the Guardian, the Journal, Le Monde and Tech Policy Press.