# The datacenter industry is using propaganda to fight opposition | Samuel Woolley, Dean Jackson and Maia Woluchem

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/the-datacenter-industry-is-using-propaganda-to-fight-opposition-samuel-woolley-dean-jackson-and-maia-woluchem/
- Published: 2026-11-13T13:00:18+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-13T13:25:11+00:00
- Original publisher: The Guardian (publisher lean: Left)
- Original article: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/nov/13/datacenter-industry-propaganda
- Topics: Asia, Business, Government, Politics, World

## Key points

- Authors say datacentre campaigns can obscure corporate backing.
- Job and tax claims may omit important context.
- Limited disclosure can leave communities with little influence.

## Summary

The authors argue that datacentre companies and their allies use propaganda, misleading claims and limited disclosure to shape public opinion and weaken local opposition. The issue matters because communities are being asked to accept projects with potentially significant effects on water, power, public budgets and local decision-making.

Campaigns promoting jobs and tax revenue have been funded through groups whose corporate ties may be hard to see. The article questions claims such as an advocacy group’s figure of 57,785 datacentre jobs in Texas, noting uncertainty about how many are permanent or subcontracted; it also says tax claims can omit abatements and exemptions. It cites disputes over withheld water-use records in The Dalles, Oregon, and says most datacentres do not report water consumption, while non-disclosure agreements can limit public scrutiny.

---
Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.