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Conservatives split from Silicon Valley allies as datacenter backlash grows

1 September 2026 at 13:19

Tech companies have underestimated the opposition to energy-hungry datacenters – and experts predict the pushback will intensify

Hello, and welcome to TechScape. I’m your host, Blake Montgomery, listening to Dolly Parton in the wake of her death. I was lucky enough to see her in concert a decade ago in California, in the same arena where Google now hosts its annual I/O conference. It’s been a long time, and all my iPhone 4 photos are so blurry you can barely tell it’s a musical performance, but my memory is clear enough to compensate. She told many stories about her childhood, which led into a trio of fabulous songs: My Tennessee Mountain Home, Applejack and Dr Robert F Thomas. They’re still my favorites.

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The datacenter backlash is bringing the entire political spectrum together – against big tech billionaires

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© Illustration: Ben Hickey/The Guardian

© Illustration: Ben Hickey/The Guardian

© Illustration: Ben Hickey/The Guardian

Meta’s settlement will compel others to bend the knee and set up teen guardrails

26 August 2026 at 23:20

Instagram and Facebook’s parent company agreed to sweeping alterations and a payment of up to $18bn to settle a landmark trial

Meta’s agreement to change how teenagers use its social networks marks a major turning point for the US tech giant, setting a precedent that could significantly reshape how other social media operates in the coming years.

Meta agreed to substantial alterations to Instagram and Facebook on Wednesday as part of a settlement to end a landmark lawsuit. Dozens of US states had accused it of addicting and harming children with dangerous products. The company also agreed to pay up to a combined $18bn over a decade to several US states and territories involved in the suit.

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© Photograph: Matt Cardy/Getty Images

© Photograph: Matt Cardy/Getty Images

© Photograph: Matt Cardy/Getty Images

Trump rails against New York’s statewide datacenter moratorium

AI-friendly president shared a post saying governor Kathy Hochul should scrap the one-year policy ‘IMMEDIATELY’

Donald Trump railed against the New York governor, Kathy Hochul, for pausing the construction of large new datacenters, the resource-intensive facilities that power artificial intelligence.

New York became the first US state to enact a moratorium on new datacenters on Tuesday, when Hochul signed an executive order mandating a one-year statewide pause on so-called “hyperscale” datacenters.

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© Photograph: Matt Roberts/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Matt Roberts/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Matt Roberts/Shutterstock

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