Image by İsmail Enes Ayhan, from Unsplash
Data Centers Blamed For Soaring U.S. Electricity Costs
- Written by Kiara Fabbri Former Tech News Writer
- Fact-Checked by Sarah Frazier Former Content Manager
Regular households and small businesses throughout the U.S face rising electric bill costs given the extensive energy demands of Big Tech data centers.
In a rush? Here are the quick facts:
- Some states push data centers to pay more for power infrastructure.
- Current system spreads billions in costs to all electricity customers.
- Data centers caused 70% of last year’s $9.3B electricity cost increase.
Several states are investigating how data centers affect electricity bills, while others are trying to make data centers pay a bigger share of costs for new power plants and transmission lines. “There’s a massive outcry,” said Charlotte Shuff of the Oregon Citizens’ Utility Board, as reported by AP.
In Georgia, residents like Beverly Morris blame nearby Meta data centers for water shortages , citing millions of gallons used for cooling. Meta denies harming groundwater, but locals remain skeptical.
Critics say the current system spreads billions in infrastructure costs across all customers, even though only a few of the world’s wealthiest companies benefit. “A lot of this infrastructure […] is being built just for a few customers,” said Ari Peskoe of Harvard University, as reported by AP.
AI data centers consume massive electricity, sometimes over 20% of a country’s usage, yet companies rarely disclose exact figures .
Additionally, research shows that AI-generated messages produce significant environmental impacts. The yearly energy consumption of one weekly email generated by AI equals the power usage of nine homes during one hour. Experts warn that individual habits add up to stress data centers which currently use 2% of global electricity and will experience significant growth because of increasing AI adoption.
AP notes that Wood Mackenzie researchers found that data center ‘special rates’ in 16 states fail to cover the expenses of building new power plants, forcing regular customers to absorb the extra costs. Monitoring Analytics, a mid-Atlantic organization, reported that data center demand accounted for 70% of last year’s $9.3 billion electricity cost increase.
AP reports that Oregon has ordered regulators to set higher data center rates, while New Jersey is investigating potential unreasonable rate increases” for ratepayers. Pennsylvania is drafting a standard rate framework to determine appropriate payment plans for technology companies.
“We’re talking about real transmission upgrades, potentially hundreds of millions of dollars,” said commission chairman Stephen DeFrank, as reported by the AP. “And that’s what you don’t want the ratepayer to get stuck paying for,” he added.
Image by Diego González, from Unsplash
Privacy Experts Alarmed By Law Enforcement Use of Meta Smart Glasses
- Written by Kiara Fabbri Former Tech News Writer
- Fact-Checked by Sarah Frazier Former Content Manager
A CBP agent wore Meta AI smart glasses during a Los Angeles immigration raid, raising privacy concerns among civil liberties experts and watchdogs.
In a rush? Here are the quick facts:
- Smart glasses feature camera, live streaming, microphones, and AI integration.
- CBP policy prohibits using personal devices for official law enforcement recordings.
- Experts warn smart glasses use raises serious privacy and civil rights concerns.
A Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agent was seen wearing Meta’s AI-powered smart glasses during a June 30 immigration raid outside a Home Depot in Cypress Park, Los Angeles, videos and photos verified by 404 Media reveal .
Meta does not have a contract with CBP, and it’s unclear if the agent recorded any video during the raid.
Experts expressed concern over the use of such technology by law enforcement. Jake Laperruque, deputy director of the Center for Democracy and Technology, told 404 Media:
“There needs to be compliance with rules and laws even if a technology is not handed out through the department. The questions around [smart glasses are ones] we’re going to have to grapple with very soon and they’re pretty alarming.”
Meta’s Ray-Ban AI glasses feature a camera, microphones, live-streaming, and AI capabilities. Though the glasses do not currently have facial recognition, studies show they can be combined with off-the-shelf tools for near real-time identification .
CBP’s policy prohibits the use of personally owned video devices for official recordings. Yet, enforcement of such regulations during immigration raids has weakened under the Trump administration, as noted by 404 Media.
Jay Stanley, senior policy analyst at the ACLU, said to 404 Media: “Use of cameras can be seen as part of that [intimidation]. It’s in line with the masking that we’ve seen, and generally behavior that’s intended to terrorize people.”
404 Media notes that Meta recently partnered with defense contractor Anduril to provide AI and augmented reality tech to the military. CEO Mark Zuckerberg called smart glasses a future primary way to interact with AI.
Privacy experts warn the presence of such technology on law enforcement agents raises serious civil liberties concerns.
