Data centre don't need the huge amounts of water they ask for they lie
The short version: A YouTube researcher argues data centers exaggerate their water needs, a reminder that the tech industry routinely hides the real costs of the infrastructure powering mass surveillance.
Our Take
This video, from the channel Digital ID, Mass Surveillance and Digital Currency, digs into claims that data centers overstate how much water they actually require. We can't verify the specific numbers the creator cites, but the broader pattern they're pointing to is one we see constantly in the ALPR world too: companies asking the public to take their word for it, with little independent verification of what their systems actually need, collect, or cost communities.
Flock Safety and its peers love to talk about efficiency and minimal footprint when they're pitching a city council, then quietly expand data retention, sharing agreements, and camera density once the contract is signed. Whether it's water for a server farm or license plate scans feeding a nationwide database, the industry's playbook is the same: understate the real resource grab, oversell the public safety payoff, and resist outside audits. Infrastructure claims deserve the same scrutiny whether they're about cooling towers or camera networks.
Credit to the creator for keeping pressure on corporate transparency gaps, even outside our usual beat. If you want to see what that lack of transparency looks like on the ground in your own town, check our camera map, and if you're ready to push back on unchecked surveillance infrastructure near you, our take-action guide is a good place to start.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of Digital ID, Mass Surveillance and Digital Currency, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.