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Donald Campbell

@dncampbell.bsky.social
368 followers 827 following 588 posts
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Reposted by Donald Campbell
Foxglove Legal @foxglovelegal.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
The public should not be paying for the social and environmental costs of Big Tech's data centres. Join our call on Andy Burnham to stop the construction of data centres that will harm the climate or the local community: you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/ba...
you.38degrees.org.uk
Ban data centres that harm our communities and climate
Big Tech’s giant data centres swallow as much power as millions of homes, guzzle our water, and risk driving up our energy bills - all with zero limits. We need basic rules: ⚡ 100% clean power 💧 Ze...
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Donald Campbell @dncampbell.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
The Aarhus Convention being attacked here underpins Enviromental Information Requests. So the result of this policy could be that private water companies - which are exempt from FOI - are able to hide information on pollution and other harms to England's rivers. www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...
thetimes.com
Tories pledge to scrap environment agencies and expand Heathrow
At the Conservative Party conference, the shadow chancellor will set out measures to end net zero regulations in an attempt to boost economic growth
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Donald Campbell @dncampbell.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
This WSJ piece on the devastation Big Tech - esp Google - is causing to the US edu system is staggering, even if you already thought things were bad. A sense of near-total capture by corporate interests and PR, with outcomes nosediving as a result: www.wsj.com/tech/ai/goog...
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Donald Campbell @dncampbell.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
But don't worry, Jensen Huang says we don't need to know anything, not even where we live.
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Donald Campbell @dncampbell.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
"No tech giant has been more aggressive in putting AI in front of schoolchildren than Google...But the rollout has helped push many students to become academically and emotionally dependent on AI". Big Tech's access to schools should be a much bigger worry, everywhere. www.wsj.com/tech/ai/goog...
wsj.com
Google Pushed AI Into Schools—and Even Students Say It’s Gone Too Far
The risks of cognitive and emotional dependence, along with falling test scores, are fueling a backlash.
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Reposted by Donald Campbell
AFP News Agency @en.afp.com · 01/10/2026
'Catastrophic': Swiss glaciers lose 20% of mass in five years. Swiss glaciers saw 5.5% of their volume melt away just this year, the second-biggest melt on record, Glacier Monitoring in Switzerland (GLAMOS) network reports u.afp.com/S9B2
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Donald Campbell @dncampbell.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Open a marketing office in the UK and you're a 'British company', according to some: "However, no decisions have yet been taken, and some Labour figures argue that Palantir’s UK-based business should be considered a British company under Burnham’s definition."
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Donald Campbell @dncampbell.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Signs that the UK Govt may be planning to kick Palantir out of the NHS: "One option under consideration is to offer Palantir a temporary contract extension of about 12 months to give more time to develop a British alternative, according to people familiar with discussions."
ft.com
Andy Burnham searches for UK alternative to Palantir
Prime minister’s ‘Buy British’ push triggers hunt to find replacement for controversial US tech group awarded health service and defence contracts
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Donald Campbell @dncampbell.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Voluntary regulation of big tech doesn’t work, in shock news www.themorningintelligence.uk/google-withh...
themorningintelligence.uk
Google withheld latest model from UK's AISI
Testing, America first.
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Donald Campbell @dncampbell.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
I had heard of Trump's 'Pax Silica' but I had missed the Pentagon seeing the EIC as a model for US tech dominance. It's front and centre of Trump's AI Strategy as well. We can't say they haven't warned us, yet countries are cheerfully signing up to this stuff. www.ft.com/content/bc17...
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Donald Campbell @dncampbell.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Another reminder that lethal injection has never been about a 'humane' process - it's often excruciating for the victim, but it presents a more sanitised appearance, aimed at making it socially acceptable. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
theguardian.com
Tennessee woman on death row taken to hospital after surviving two lethal injections
Christa Pike, sentenced to death over 1995 murder, was heard snoring 40 minutes after lethal doses administered, witnesses said
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Donald Campbell @dncampbell.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Here's the background on why the figures Lord Watson cites in defence of Palantir do not stand up. Maybe he could correct the record? www.foxglove.org.uk/2026/06/26/u...
foxglove.org.uk
UK Government and Palantir must correct public record after NHS admits published data does not back up FDP benefit claims
There is no credible argument left now against removing Trump-backing spy tech firm Palantir from the National Health Service.
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Donald Campbell @dncampbell.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Palantir's Tom Watson says he wants to correct "inaccuracies". So why, in his letter to @labourlewis.bsky.social is he still citing claims that have been debunked? Even the Government has admitted that improvements at NHS trusts *cannot* be attributed to Palantir. www.thenerve.news/p/clive-lewi...
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Donald Campbell @dncampbell.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Telling wording here - Peter Thiel still isn't a fan of democracy, apparently:
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Donald Campbell @dncampbell.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
"These contractors are not being hired to flag or vet offensive or inappropriate content. They are being paid to review the quality of Copilot’s output, including in these cases of sexual imagery." So far as I can tell MS have put an abusive image generator into Office. Have they lost their minds.
404media.co
Humans Are Reading Copilot Prompts — And They're Horrified
Human contractors are reviewing Copilot users’ prompts and uploaded images, according to internal documents obtained by 404 Media. The contractors are also bombarded with users’ requests for sexual AI...
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Reposted by Donald Campbell
Joseph Cox @josephcox.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
New from 404 Media: when you upload images to Copilot, they're not private. Human contractors are reviewing Copilot users' prompts/images, according to internal docs we got And they're horrified at what they're seeing. Bombarded with requests to make sexual AI images www.404media.co/humans-readi...
404media.co
Humans Are Reading Copilot Prompts — And They're Horrified
Human contractors are reviewing Copilot users’ prompts and uploaded images, according to internal documents obtained by 404 Media. The contractors are also bombarded with users’ requests for sexual AI...
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Reposted by Donald Campbell
UNISON @unison.org.uk · 28/09/2026
NO TO PALANTIR 🚫 120+ organisations and unions across Europe call for the scrapping of all existing public sector contracts with Palantir.
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Donald Campbell @dncampbell.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Another dodgy statement from the UK Govt's response to the #Countryfile piece on data centres last night. Have ministers made any assessment of the emissions new AI data centres will also enable? EG: www.nature.com/articles/s44...
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Donald Campbell @dncampbell.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Very surprising to see this claim from the UK Govt on data centres and carbon targets when they (1) very clearly have not accounted for growing data centre emissions in their carbon budgets and (2) by their own admission don't know how much water data centres are using.
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Donald Campbell @dncampbell.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
The tech industry often claims UK data centres don't use significant volumes of water for cooling. If that's so, how do they explain one water supplier receiving an application from a data centre to use 21m litres a day? (according to WaterUK, see www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/epis... at 22.14)
bbc.co.uk
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Reposted by Donald Campbell
Tech Policy Press @techpolicypress.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Palantir has hired former Labour deputy leader Tom Watson ahead of a December government decision on a break clause that could end its £330 million role in the NHS's data platform. Foxglove's Martha Dark writes that his "new position contrasts starkly with his public views a decade ago."
buff.ly
Palantir's New Senior VP Swaps Lords Pass for Labour Leverage
Lord Tom Watson’s new position contrasts starkly with his public views a decade ago, writes Foxglove's Martha Dark.
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Reposted by Donald Campbell
Robert Wright @reporterrwright.ft.com · 25/09/2026
I see a lot of people complaining about the undoubtedly stressful conditions at present on London's roads. But I see few people complaining about motor vehicles. Yet in the last 24 hours three vulnerable road users have died after being hit by people driving motor vehicles.
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Donald Campbell @dncampbell.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Either this, or there’ll be an arms race of the kind already seen in recruitment (AI assessments vs AI applications) and we’ll end up with a system that uses far more energy to produce a slightly worse result.
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Donald Campbell @dncampbell.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Good piece from @marthadark.bsky.social on Palantir's new lobbyist: "in 2015, he brought a legal challenge against the UK Government over its plans to 'spy on citizens.' Now, he’s taking up a role at the world’s most prominent spy-tech company."
techpolicy.press
Palantir's New Senior VP Swaps Lords Pass for Labour Leverage
Lord Tom Watson’s new position contrasts starkly with his public views a decade ago, writes Foxglove's Martha Dark.
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Donald Campbell @dncampbell.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Every so often I'm reminded of this essential story about how Palantir operates in trying to win public contracts. It's from 2022 but anyone interested how they've built up such a big role in the NHS and wider UK public sector should read it. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
Peter Thiel’s Palantir Had Secret Plan to Crack UK’s NHS: ‘Buying Our Way In’
Palantir Technologies had a secret plan to deepen its relationship with the UK’s National Health Service without public scrutiny.
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Reposted by Donald Campbell
Wera Hobhouse MP @werahobhouse.org.uk · 22/09/2026
AI smart glasses & covert filming are a real threat to women's & girls’ safety. That’s why I’m campaigning to: 👮 Make covert filming a specific criminal offence. ❌ Force platforms to remove this content. 🕶️ Require a visible recording indicator on smart glasses & make it an offence to conceal it.
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Donald Campbell @dncampbell.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
He means this, presumably
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Donald Campbell @dncampbell.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
One striking thing from this Tom Watson statement: he doesn't cite a single concrete stat about how Palantir has helped the NHS. He goes with a vaguely worded hypothetical instead. They've been running the Federated Data Platform since 2023. www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...
linkedin.com
Palantir UK: Joining as Senior Vice President | Tom Watson posted on the topic | LinkedIn
After six wonderful years chairing the board of UK Music, I’m returning to tech and joining Palantir Technologies UK as Senior Vice President. It’s a little daunting joining a team where the average ...
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Donald Campbell @dncampbell.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
"In past conflicts, preparing lists of proposed targets...had taken hours for staffers to complete. Ahead of the US attack on Iran, much of that work was condensed into several minutes via [Palantir's] Maven, people involved in the Pentagon’s internal review said." www.bloomberg.com/graphics/202...
bloomberg.com
Inside the US ‘Kill Chain’ That Destroyed an Iranian School
Pentagon investigators have discovered that flawed intelligence, outdated imagery and an overreliance on AI contributed to a missile strike that killed 123 children in Minab.
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Donald Campbell @dncampbell.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
I might also gently suggest to the BBC that when Jim Ratcliffe comes out with this garbage you could maybe say: "what about the half a billion plus pounds of backing you've received from UK taxpayers for just one project?" www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Billionaire Manchester United owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe says he has lost confidence in UK
Ineos founder Sir Jim Ratcliffe tells the BBC he thinks the country is "on the slide" and calls for more investment in the North Sea.
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Donald Campbell @dncampbell.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
It's astonishing that a man in receipt of hundreds of millions of pounds worth of public support - for his hopeless single-use plastics facility, of all things - is on the BBC today complaining about a lack of state backing. How much more does he want? www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
UK gives £600m backing to Jim Ratcliffe’s ‘carbon bomb’ petrochemical plant
Campaigners say Ineos project in Antwerp will turbocharge plastic production on a scale not seen before in Europe
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Donald Campbell @dncampbell.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
yes this is right. Plus there's also an alarming plan for a bitcoin-mining data centre powered by fracked gas in Yorkshire. But haven't seen that in the planning system yet. www.telegraph.co.uk/business/202...
telegraph.co.uk
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Donald Campbell @dncampbell.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
sure - Wapseys Wood in Bucks, details here: www.gov.uk/government/p... And Quest Park in Beds: www.gov.uk/government/p...
gov.uk
Data Centre Campus, Wapseys Wood, Buckinghamshire: Section 35 Direction, Planning Act 2008
Direction by the Secretary of State relating to a proposed business or commercial project: application by Slough Holdings UK Limited.
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Donald Campbell @dncampbell.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Was Starmer taking policy instructions from Jensen Huang? The Nvidia CEO called for gas-powered data centres during Trump's 2025 state visit: www.telegraph.co.uk/business/202...
telegraph.co.uk
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Donald Campbell @dncampbell.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
This is still a live issue: there are two applications seeking development consent orders from the UK Govt to build data centres with their own gas power plants - and there could be more to follow.
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Donald Campbell @dncampbell.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Palantir sticking to form with their latest hire
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Donald Campbell @dncampbell.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Palantir have found their new Peter Mandelson www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
theguardian.com
Former Labour deputy leader Tom Watson joins Palantir
Peer takes full-time position at the controversial company as it fends off pressure from both Andy Burnham’s government and Sadiq Khan
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Donald Campbell @dncampbell.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Palantir very much retreating to their safe space here, which is influence and lobbying. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
theguardian.com
Former Labour deputy leader Tom Watson joins Palantir
Peer takes full-time position at the controversial company as it fends off pressure from both Andy Burnham’s government and Sadiq Khan
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Donald Campbell @dncampbell.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
A definition of 'left wing' which somehow includes the conservative frontbench, who are still tabling large numbers of PQs about Palantir
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Reposted by Donald Campbell
Gareth Watkins @garethwatkins.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
The left wing campaign being people like me writing unflattering editorials and nurses marching with banners while the company has thoroughly captured actual political decision makers.
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Reposted by Donald Campbell
Jason Kint @kint.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Eye popping. Court just unsealed Summary Judgment motions in New York Times v OpenAI / Microsoft. Easy to see why the AI companies had so many redactions (pink). Their own people wrote the lede for NYT, the "largest theft of labor in human history"... "more and more substitutive..." /1
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Donald Campbell @dncampbell.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Yep there we go. Not a serious person.
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Donald Campbell @dncampbell.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
This was passed by the Scottish parliament today, leaving labour in an interesting position: they’ve successfully won a data centre moratorium north of the border, but are against it in England (as Burnham confirmed at pmqs last week).
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Reposted by Donald Campbell
The Guardian @theguardian.com · 16/09/2026
At least five Reform councillors joined Patriot Platform Facebook group, campaigners reveal
theguardian.com
At least five Reform councillors joined Patriot Platform Facebook group, campaigners reveal
Politicians from Solihull, Gateshead and Kent were in online group linked to balaclava-clad immigration protesters At least five Reform UK councillors have been members of a Facebook group linked to the far-right group involved in the blockades of Dover and Portsmouth by masked men, according to anti-fascist campaigners. It comes as Nigel Farage’s party has been wrestling with internal divisions over its position on the Patriot Platform group, whose activities have been condemned by the Reform UK leader and across the political spectrum. Continue reading...
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Donald Campbell @dncampbell.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
This is a positive step - but it's staggering that data centres were being nodded through without environmental impact assessments until now (in both Scotland & England). Foxglove research found that one planned for Edinburgh would produce as much climate pollution as the city's airport.
theguardian.com
Scotland imposes mandatory environmental assessments on new datacentres
Government announces before vote on moratorium that any projects above 50MW must submit assessments in planning process
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Donald Campbell @dncampbell.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Looking at Labour's amendment to the Green's data centre motion at Holyrood, they appear to be calling for a 1-year moratorium on data centre decisions, in effect?
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Donald Campbell @dncampbell.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Another example of just how closely aligned the Trump regime and Big Tech are. See also Trump's AI action plan, p2, which states it is "imperative for the United States to achieve and maintain unquestioned and unchallenged global technological dominance."
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Donald Campbell @dncampbell.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
...But it shouldn't need legal challenges to ensure that govts put the public interest above that of Big Tech. Both the Scottish and UK Govts need to urgently put in place concrete policies to ensure that we aren't left to bear the social and environmental costs of data centres.
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Donald Campbell @dncampbell.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Alarmingly, Scotland (like England) has seen data centres being waved through without even needing to undertake an Environmental Impact Assessment - despite their vast energy use and climate emissions. This has been effectively challenged by @ercscot.bsky.social in Edin:
ercs.scot
ERCS welcomes Scottish Government EIA decision for Edinburgh data centre planning appeal
A planning reporter has issued a ‘screening direction’ requiring an environmental impact assessment to be carried out for a proposal to build a 210-megawatt data centre ...
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Donald Campbell @dncampbell.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Foxglove also warned that - according to the developer's own figures - a proposed data centre in Edinburgh would cause climate emissions equivalent to those of the city's airport: inews.co.uk/news/data-ce...
inews.co.uk
Giant data centre could use as much power as every home in Glasgow and Edinburgh
Edinburgh Council has said the developer will not have to submit an environmental impact assessment, sparking concerns data centres are avoiding scrutiny from planners
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