Data center protests spread as US voters back candidates promising tighter rules

Last Friday, more than 100 activists gathered at a Microsoft-related construction site in Amsterdam; some entered the grounds, climbed cranes and hung balloons. Pure Data Centres, which plans to invest over $1 billion there, offered to discuss the protesters’ concerns, while Microsoft said it supported peaceful demonstrations but opposed unlawful actions. The action coincided with a two-day Stop Dirty Data Centres campaign as protests mounted in 16 countries; events were also organized in Dublin, Warsaw and at another Microsoft project in Denmark. In the US midterms, Democrats won a majority in Congress and 32 of 34 winning gubernatorial candidates backed tougher data center regulations; 12 gubernatorial candidates supported bans or construction moratoriums.