Martha Dark
marthadark.bsky.social
Martha Dark
@marthadark.bsky.social
Co-founder and director at Foxglove, former Reprieve & Open Rights Group.
Pinned
NEW: we've @foxglovelegal.bsky.social filed a legal case challenging plans for a hyperscale data centre in Buckinghamshire with our friends @globalactionplan.bsky.social. Gov has failed to properly assess environmental impact & huge energy and water consumption.

www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Angela Rayner hit with legal challenge over datacentre on green belt land
Exclusive: Campaigners complain no environmental assessment made for 90MW Buckinghamshire facility
www.theguardian.com
@foxglovelegal.bsky.social supporters in action 👇 objecting to Google's NEW Thurrock data centre. 💪

Join them www.foxglove.org.uk/campaigns/th...

Google's data centre will emit half a million tonnes of carbon dioxide a year, equivalent to 500 short-haul flights a week.
October 23, 2025 at 2:44 PM
We are hiring a head of operations at Foxglove! All the details are below - please share with anyone brilliant / that might be interested.

jobs.theguardian.com/job/9893829/...
Head of Operations - Remote job with Foxglove | 9893829
Lead operations remotely, driving finance, HR, compliance & growth in a mission-driven tech justice nonprofit.
jobs.theguardian.com
October 21, 2025 at 8:36 AM
Thank you for showing us exactly why our cloud infrastructure shouldn't be in the hands of just three companies today AWS.

www.theguardian.com/business/liv...
‘Signs of recovery’ claims Amazon Web Services after internet outage hits many websites and apps – business live
Fortnite, Roblox, SnapChat, Lloyds Bank and Ring doorbells among services hit by online outage
www.theguardian.com
October 20, 2025 at 9:58 AM
Great write up of our report in Computer Weekly. We'll continue to urge gov to properly scrutinise data centre developers’ environmental claims. @foxglovelegal.bsky.social @globalactionplan.bsky.social

www.computerweekly.com/news/3666322...

(full report here www.foxglove.org.uk/wp-content/u...)
Government urged to scrutinise datacentre developers’ environmental claims | Computer Weekly
A new report by environmental non-profit Foxglove suggests the government's pro-datacentre agenda could be set to derail the UK's decarbonisation efforts
www.computerweekly.com
October 8, 2025 at 10:54 AM
Our research out today and covered in the Observer 👇 shows emissions from just 10 of the hundreds of UK data centres in the works could wipe out carbon emissions saved by switching to electric cars in 2025! @globalactionplan.bsky.social @foxglovelegal.bsky.social

observer.co.uk/news/busines...
Ten UK data centres could cancel EV emissions gain
Research has underlined the lack of transparent and reliable figures for expected emissions driven by data centre growth
observer.co.uk
October 5, 2025 at 10:00 AM
www.crowdjustice.com/case/datacen...

We @foxglovelegal.bsky.social and @globalactionplan.bsky.social are just £500 away from our fundraising target. Please share and donate if you can to help us get there!
Stop the Government forcing through Destructive Data Centres
Foxglove is a non-profit which exists to make technology fair for everyone. They are co-claimant in the case. Global Action Plan is an environmental charity which works to improve the health of peopl
www.crowdjustice.com
October 3, 2025 at 12:32 PM
Reposted by Martha Dark
Foxglove's @marthadark.bsky.social was at the UK's Labour party conference this week to warn about the environmental costs of Big Tech's data centres:
There is a real knowledge gap around the energy and water consumption of data centres, says Martha Dark from @foxglovelegal.bsky.social, and there need to be better mechanisms for holding developers to their commitments - how do we build this infrastructure without letting climate targets slip?
September 30, 2025 at 8:36 AM
Reposted by Martha Dark
Kicking off our second panel of the day #Lab25, in partnership with @globalactionplan.bsky.social, with a discussion about whether our energy and water systems are ready for the AI Data Centre Boom.
September 29, 2025 at 9:37 AM
Reposted by Martha Dark
There is a real knowledge gap around the energy and water consumption of data centres, says Martha Dark from @foxglovelegal.bsky.social, and there need to be better mechanisms for holding developers to their commitments - how do we build this infrastructure without letting climate targets slip?
September 29, 2025 at 9:37 AM
Reposted by Martha Dark
What do you do when your media org is captured? You start your own.

Introducing....The Nerve!!! @thenerve-news.bsky.social

We're all-female, journalist-owned & launching next week.

Please help us build a truly independent, progressive new media!👊👊👊
Former Observer big-hitters inc @carolecadwalla.bsky.social launch new title The Nerve with redundancy payouts

After Observer sale: "We decided to launch a title that the journalists themselves would own, that would be truly independent"
pressgazette.co.uk/news/former-...
Former Observer big-hitters launch new title with redundancy payouts
Five former Observer journalists including Carole Cadwalladr have launched their own culture publication using their redundancy money.
pressgazette.co.uk
September 26, 2025 at 11:03 AM
Reposted by Martha Dark
Microsoft CEO claimed "investing in data centres was 'effectively' also investing in modernising the power grid but did not say that money would be shared directly with the UK's power supplier"

In short: he will pile more demand onto the grid but won't pay for it.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
AI could boost UK economy by 10% in 5 years, says Microsoft boss
Boss Satya Nadella said it was the biggest investment the firm had made outside of the US.
www.bbc.co.uk
September 17, 2025 at 8:12 AM
Reposted by Martha Dark
Oh. Wow. A fine of [*checks notes*] about 1% of Google's annual turnover as punishment for [*checks further notes*] monopolising critical infrastructure in ways that aggressively defunds democracy.

The EC's spinelessness is a revolution in materials science.
www.euractiv.com/section/tech...
EU fines Google €2.95 billion - Euractiv
The US tech giant was fined for violating EU competition rules in the advertising technology market
www.euractiv.com
September 5, 2025 at 3:30 PM
Reposted by Martha Dark
Google's monopoly power rips off consumers, pollutes our information environment, and destroys the news media.

Today's €2.95 billion fine is a start, but won't touch Google's toxic ad-tech monopoly. The EU @ec.europa.eu must hold firm and now break up Google. www.politico.eu/article/eu-s...
EU slaps Google with €2.95B fine despite Trump trade threat
Brussels hammers U.S. search giant after internal Commission feud.
www.politico.eu
September 5, 2025 at 4:29 PM
Palantir is the last company that should be allowed anywhere near children’s services.

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
Coventry council to use Palantir AI in social work, Send and children’s services
Exclusive: Workers say £500k contract with US tech firm which supplies Israeli forces raises ‘serious ethical questions’
www.theguardian.com
August 30, 2025 at 1:08 PM
Reposted by Martha Dark
Listen to Oliver Hayes, our Head of Policy and Campaigns, and Martha Dark of @foxglovelegal.bsky.social talk on @themaybe.org podcast about the legal challenge we launched against the government’s decision to force construction of a data centre in Buckinghamshire.

www.themaybe.org/podcast/shor...
The Maybe
www.themaybe.org
August 22, 2025 at 11:52 AM
Reposted by Martha Dark
NEWS! Foxglove (@foxglovelegal.bsky.social) and Global Action Plan (@globalactionplan.bsky.social) are suing to stop the UK govt's YOLO plans for data centers.

Want a 15min brief on the case from @marthadark.bsky.social and @olliehayes.bsky.social?

Listen here: www.themaybe.org/podcast/shor...
The Maybe
www.themaybe.org
August 22, 2025 at 3:39 PM
Reposted by Martha Dark
"The deputy prime minister's lack of meaningful scrutiny of this application sends a worrying signal to communities across the country that more and bigger data centres are inevitable."
- Oliver Hayes, Global Action Plan, quoted in BBC coverage today.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Iver landfill data centre subject of legal action by campaigners
Campaigners are raising concerns about the environmental impact of the facility.
www.bbc.co.uk
August 21, 2025 at 2:34 PM
Reposted by Martha Dark
A legal challenge has been launched against a decision to force through construction of a hyperscale data centre in the Buckinghamshire Green Belt.

Tech justice non-profit Foxglove and environmental charity Global Action Plan are represented by Rowan Smith.

www.leighday.co.uk/news/news/20...
Legal challenge over approval of data centre
Non-profit Foxglove and Global Action Plan have launched a legal challenge over the construction of a data centre in the Buckinghamshire Green Belt.
www.leighday.co.uk
August 21, 2025 at 12:45 PM
As Rosa says re our data centre challenge "Local people and businesses in Buckinghamshire will soon be competing with a power guzzling-behemoth to keep the lights on, which as we've seen in the states, usually means sky-high prices."

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Iver landfill data centre subject of legal action by campaigners
Campaigners are raising concerns about the environmental impact of the facility.
www.bbc.co.uk
August 21, 2025 at 12:35 PM
Reposted by Martha Dark
Together with Foxglove, we’re launching a legal challenge against the government’s decision to force construction of a hyperscale data centre in Buckinghamshire.

Read the coverage in today's Guardian: www.theguardian.com/environment/...

@theguardian.com
Angela Rayner hit with legal challenge over datacentre on green belt land
Exclusive: Campaigners complain no environmental assessment made for 90MW Buckinghamshire facility
www.theguardian.com
August 21, 2025 at 9:56 AM
Reposted by Martha Dark
If you think our environment and our energy and water supplies are more important than the demands of Tech Billionaires, you can support our work to stop the UK Government forcing through environmentally destructive data centres here: www.crowdjustice.com/case/datacen...
Stop the Government forcing through Destructive Data Centres
Foxglove is a non-profit which exists to make technology fair for everyone. They are co-claimant in the case. Global Action Plan is an environmental charity which works to improve the health of peopl
www.crowdjustice.com
August 21, 2025 at 10:47 AM
Reposted by Martha Dark
The Government has overturned local concerns in order to force through a hyperscale data centre in Buckinghamshire. They didn’t even bother to undertake an Environmental Impact Assessment before doing so. We’re taking legal action against this decision. www.foxglove.org.uk/2025/08/21/n...
NEW CASE LAUNCH: Foxglove launches UK’s first legal challenge against the construction of a hyperscale data centre and to defend our power, water and environment
Hyperscale data centres guzzle drinking water and electrical power and emit polluting emissions, but Rayner said no environmental tests were needed.
www.foxglove.org.uk
August 21, 2025 at 10:47 AM