Amazon to drop NDAs in data center negotiations with local governments
Amazon announced it will stop requiring non-disclosure agreements when negotiating data center deals with local governments, following Microsoft's similar policy change earlier this year. The move comes amid growing community opposition to AI infrastructure projects, which has produced hundreds of proposed or enacted moratoriums in places ranging from New York to San Francisco.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
Secrecy around data center negotiations has been a flashpoint for local resistance, so publicly ending NDA use could be an attempt by major cloud providers to rebuild community trust and ease permitting friction. Whether transparency alone addresses underlying concerns about energy use, water consumption, and land impact remains to be seen, and other companies may face pressure to follow suit.
- Amazon will stop using NDAs in data center deals with local governments.
- Microsoft made a similar policy shift earlier in the year.
- Secrecy has fueled hundreds of proposed or enacted moratoriums against AI infrastructure nationwide.
Source: techcrunch.com — Theresa Loconsolo, 2026-10-09
Published there as: “Amazon and others are done keeping data center deals secret. Is it enough to build trust?”
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