@marthadark.bsky.social
Co-founder and director at Foxglove, former Reprieve & Open Rights Group.
@marthadark.bsky.socialBringing together campaigners, lawyers, journalists, community groups & funders for an evening all things data centres. Including panels, Paris Marx's Hyperscale book launch, Macrodose podcast, social / drinks, organiser lightning talks & a chance for those working on data centres to meet up.
@marthadark.bsky.social📣 26 Oct @foxglovelegal.bsky.social & friends will host: The AI Data Centre Fight: Big Tech's hyperscale building spree. Limited tickets
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-ai-dat...
@meadwaj.bsky.social, @sarahljaffe.bsky.social, @parismarx.com, @globalactionplan.bsky.social, Bug Life & more.
@foxglovelegal.bsky.socialReposted by @marthadark.bsky.socialThis is happening tonight - still time to get (free) tickets: hear from the people working to challenge Zuckerberg's appallingly harmful business model
@foxglovelegal.bsky.socialReposted by @marthadark.bsky.socialIs Palantir hoping that Lord Watson can provide the Labour connections they previously relied on Lord Mandelson for?
Foxglove's @marthadark.bsky.social writes for @techpolicypress.bsky.social:
@techpolicypress.bsky.socialReposted by @marthadark.bsky.socialPalantir has hired former Labour deputy leader Tom Watson ahead of a December government decision on a break clause that could end its ÂŁ330 million role in the NHS's data platform. Foxglove's Martha Dark writes that his "new position contrasts starkly with his public views a decade ago."
@dncampbell.bsky.socialReposted by @marthadark.bsky.socialGood piece from @marthadark.bsky.social on Palantir's new lobbyist:
"in 2015, he brought a legal challenge against the UK Government over its plans to 'spy on citizens.' Now, he’s taking up a role at the world’s most prominent spy-tech company."
@marthadark.bsky.socialwww.techpolicy.press/palantirs-ne...
I wrote for @techpolicypress.bsky.social this week on former privacy campaigner & MP Tom Watson's decision to join spy-tech surveillance giant Palantir.
Palantir clinging desperately to it's multi-million pound NHS contract as (legit) concerns are raised.
@coricrider.comReposted by @marthadark.bsky.socialSHOTS FIRED: Clive Lewis MP says what needed saying about Palantir’s naked bid to buy access to HMG thru Tom Watson.
“Now, the former scourge of mass surveillance finds a surveillance company “the most interesting … on the planet”. It’s quite a journey”
@marthadark.bsky.socialwww.eventbrite.co.uk/e/is-metas-t...
Reminder: Join @foxglovelegal.bsky.social @katibainstitute.bsky.social & more on Tuesday evening to hear from lawyers, campaigners and people challenging Facebook's harmful algorithms and business model around the world. Get your tickets!
@utaw.techReposted by @marthadark.bsky.socialEveryone’s talking about AI, but no one’s actually asking workers how it’s affecting us. So we’ve done it ourselves.
Today we are launching the AI Workers’ Inquiry, a new study led by workers themselves, into the way AI is changing work.
Read it at go.utaw.tech/ai
@marthadark.bsky.socialYes, that's right: 2 planned gas powered data centres = 3x the emissions of Luton airport. And just one of the data centres mentioned in this article will require 1 GW of electricity. That's the same as approx. 3 million homes! đźŹ
@marthadark.bsky.social"Foxglove, a campaign group, estimated the combined greenhouse gas emissions of both plants - if operating at full capacity and powered by gas - could be as high as 4.5m tonnes per year" The figure is three times as much as Luton Airport's emissions, which were 1.3m tonnes in 2025."
@marthadark.bsky.social@foxglovelegal.bsky.social's research into two planned data centres was featured in @bbcnewsunofficial.bsky.social this week.
@marthadark.bsky.socialUK data centre developers have decided they simply CANNOT wait for national grid connection (300+ in the queue) so are planning to build gas power stations, despite the HUGE emissions that will result in and that will be sure to make Burnham's recent commitment to net 0 by 2050 impossible.
@marthadark.bsky.social"The Government acknowledged errors, quashed its own approval, and the developer eventually conceded it needed to agree binding clean energy obligations with the council. The victorious campaigning group, Foxglove, vowed to refocus its efforts on challenging other data centre schemes across the UK."
@marthadark.bsky.socialThank you @faisalislam.bsky.social for including @foxglovelegal.bsky.social's Woodlands win in your great piece about data centre backlash. Much more in the works..
@marthadark.bsky.socialGreat to speak to @novaramedia.com about Tom Watson joining Palantir last night.
Palantir is desperate to cling on to the NHS FDP contract in the face of mounting legitimate criticism and committees considering whether to exercise the break clause.
@mandyjwatson.bsky.socialReposted by @marthadark.bsky.socialIf you're from Cape Town and you're wondering where the hell "King Air Industria" is it's the block between Robert Sobukwe (N) and Airport Approach Road (S) and the N2 (W) and the airport (E):
www.openstreetmap.org#map=15/-33.9...
More info here:
www.atterbury.co.za/portfolio-it...
@marthadark.bsky.socialMore info / background to the case in @foxglovelegal.bsky.social’s blog
@stephenstroud.bsky.socialReposted by @marthadark.bsky.socialIt ought to be possible to construct data centres that do not draw heavily on other resources and are still profitable. If it is not possible to do that, they obviously need a rethink.