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Seattle, home to Amazon and Microsoft, poised to pass moratorium on new datacenters

Measure expected to pass next week represents major rebuke to big tech as local disquiet over AI boom grows

Seattle’s city government is on the verge of passing a year-long ban on the construction of new datacenters, the largest city yet in the US to consider such a moratorium as nationwide backlash grows.

Four companies sought to build five large datacenters in areas serviced by Seattle’s public utility; if approved, they would have consumed approximately a third of the city’s current daily demand for electricity.

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© Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images

© Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images

© Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images

Apple is bringing age verification to Texas this week

3 June 2026 at 22:49
Vector illustration of the Apple logo.

Apple will introduce age verification in the App Store for users in Texas starting on Thursday, June 4th. The move, as spotted by MacRumors, comes just days after a federal appeals court allowed Texas' App Store Accountability Act to go into effect while a lawsuit against it proceeds.

People in Texas who are creating a new Apple account will need to verify they're over 18 using a credit card or government ID. Apple may also automatically verify users' age using the age of their account and whether they have a credit card on file.

Meanwhile, users under 18 must join a Family Sharing group, where a parent or guardian will need to provide con …

Read the full story at The Verge.

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