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Finland orders halt to work on two Google data centres
(www.bbc.co.uk)
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this post was submitted on 07 Oct 2026
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When I heard Google was going to build more data centres in Finland, I thought they would perhaps already be aware that there are certain procedures and regulations over here, especially regarding the ecological impact, and they'd probably need to exercise the necessary caution here. I mean, they already have data centres here, they should know what it's like.
I did not expect them to be like "😃 let's get chopping boys 🪓 yeehaw" and the government would actually need to be like "😡 you can't do that" and then Google would need to be like "😣 well whoopsie daisy, we got a bit ahead of ourselves, sowwy 🥺".
But I guess the AI mania makes companies stupider in the ways that we all are familiar with by now.
It is not being stupid, it is testing if they can break the law and get away with it, like in their home vountry.
No, I would say it's slightly different.
The contractor, who knows the laws in the EU, has undoubtedly explained the need for the assessment, highlighted the time it would take and possibility of rejection of the assessment.
They have also undertaken some risk evaluation regarding the punishment, and as it is probably a fine in the low millions of euro per site, suggested to google that they can probably do it faster by jumping the gun on procedure, saving a larger amount on construction inflation.
If they're literally forced to replant those trees and care for them until they're back at the same size (so, for around 30 years), that would totally upend such calculations.
Personally I'm eagerly awaiting to see if Finnish Justice is a joke and just gives then the expected "cost of doing business" fine or if it actually forces them to undo the damage (i.e. replant the trees and care for them) thus reversing any and all gains they might have had from their unlawful actions.
I would wager the Finnish planning department doesn't have the appropriate tools to control this kind of project.
The only other entity historically building anything on this scale is the Finnish government itself.
The reality is this landscape is probably not of significant environmental value considering it was rezoned for industrial use, so replanting the same forest that blankets the entirety of northern Finland is not going to really be worthwhile.
It's not about the forest, it's about breaking Law in Finland not being treated as the cost of doing business.
Either it has to be so costly that it's not worth it (replanting the trees, losing those licenses or something similar with entirely undoes the benefit of the unlawful actions), the corporate veil that protects them has to be pulled back and the people who ordered this have to spend time in jail or, ideally, both.
If there's no deterrence from a Law, then it's functionally the same as that Law not existing, and a nation like that isn't really one with Rule Of Law.
You would never be jailed in Finland for removing farmed forest. I think you're going to be very disappointed with the penalty. The EIA will be written explaining the land is a farmed forest and the expected works. In the eyes of the bureaucracy this is going to be a procedural error and the project will likely continue, as there is no grounds to reject it.
If the individuals making the choices come out on the other side better than if they did not chose that way, then they will do the same choices again and again and again as will others who see them get away with it.
At one point in my career I worked in Investment Banking in Britain and it was painfully obvious that the business treated breaking regulations and the fines if caught as just another item in their cost-risk analysis spreadsheets (and it was totally logical for them to do so - apparently Britain is were most of the shenanigans in the time leading to, during and after the 2008 Crash in the World, and nobody ended up in jail and all the big banks got saved and kept paying massive bonuses even during the Austerity period).
So, yeah, if all that Finland does is some fines on the businesses, keeping the individuals making the choices insulated from the consequences and letting the businesses keep the upsides of their crimes, this shit will not just keep on happen but actually happen more and more.
I'd say it's pretty cut and dry (logging joke) here. If any harsher penalties come in, they will be for everyone after.
Which is why they should face jail time, and Google should face fines in the billions instead. That's the only way they'll consider following the law next.
And yes, people at Google should also face jail time if they were told "It's illegal" and they said "Do it anyway"
If companies are people jail time for ceo’s should be the punishment.
Exceot the, were wrong. Activity was stopped and this activity possibly added further complications.
I agree with one thing though, we need criminal prosecution against such things, not (only) fines.
uwu
But they asked AI and it said it's fine!
<thinking. . .>
"Oops! You're absolutely right to call me out on that one... Finland does seem to have laws like any other sovereign nation. My mistake!"