Amazon says it will stop using nondisclosure agreements when negotiating data-center projects with local governments, following a similar commitment from Microsoft. The change addresses one source of public distrust: communities sometimes learn little about a proposed facility, its operator or the concessions discussed with officials.
The decision arrives as more jurisdictions consider temporary data-center moratoriums or environmental reviews. Those pauses may not stop projects whose planning and construction already take several years, but they can delay permits and force operators to provide more information about electricity, water, property values and public subsidies.
TechCrunch’s Equity panel argued that ending secrecy is a useful first step rather than a complete answer. Residents can evaluate a project more meaningfully when negotiations are public, yet disclosure alone does not prove that promised jobs or tax revenue outweigh infrastructure and environmental costs.
The practical test will be how Amazon applies the pledge. Communities will need timely access to project ownership, resource requirements, incentives and enforceable commitments, not only the absence of an NDA. Microsoft’s earlier move also means two large cloud operators have now acknowledged that confidential local negotiations can worsen opposition to the infrastructure supporting AI growth.