Thread by @myafrazier

As I reported in @cjr last year, big tech firms, including Facebook, force local officials to sign NDAs, use code names for projects, and stifle FOIA requests by journalists. This undermines local democracy. cjr.org/business_of_ne…

It just happened again In Altoona, Iowa. Facebook required officials to sign an NDA and use a code name, Project Sequelant, about its fifth data center project in the area.
desmoinesregister.com/story/news/loc…

Nothing was made public until a city council meeting yesterday. On the same day, a 20-year tax abatement worth millions was approved. That meant no time for public debate. No time for local journalists to inform the public about the pros and cons of the deal.

The deal was reported by @DMRIanR in the @DMRegister today, but that's too late. That's not the reporter's fault, of course. Facebook demanded secrecy. But there might have been plenty to report on before the deal was approved.

As I reported in 2017 in @technology, data centers don't bring many new jobs. And Facebook's wants to run its data centers without people one day.
bloomberg.com/news/articles/…

Local communities like Altoona deserve time to debate these things. But FB, and other tech firms, aggressively stifling debate by controlling FOIA requests, using project codes names, and NDAs. These practices deserve more scrutiny by the press.