An Indigenous Group In Brazil Is Planning To Take TikTok To Court Over Data Center
An Indigenous group in the Brazilian state of Ceará is taking TikTok to court over its planned data center, according to Rest of World.
The Anacé has claimed the area where TikTok and Casa dos Ventos, a wind energy company that will power the data center, are to be built. Leaders of the community say their right to consultation was violated, and their concerns about water consumption related to this project were ignored.
Indigenous communities must be consulted before construction on their land as part of the permit process. However, authorities did not speak to the Anacé about the data center, as they do not have official ownership of the land, Ulisses Costa, director of environmental protection and control at the state environmental agency, told Rest of World. Costa added that the developers have received the necessary authorizations from the local water department.
The Anacé taking TikTok to court
The Anacé are asking for the immediate suspension of the environmental permit process for the TikTok data center, and annulment of the permits already granted. The full effect of the project was not properly evaluated, according to the community.
One of the concerns is over the daily water consumption, which is estimated at 30,000 liters, and is too low in comparison to similar projects. The community is also asking companies to consult with them on any future plans, based on an International Labour Organization Convention, of which Brazil is a co-signatory.
Fighting off companies has come at a risk, as seven Anacé leaders were in a protection program for environmental defenders due to death threats and the risk of violence. The community members stated that the threats are under investigation.
Groups fighting against data centres
There have been several communities fighting against data centers across the globe. Plans for a metadata center in the Netherlands were scrapped following local opposition in 2022. The facility was set to span five data halls and consume 200MW upon completion, which would have made it the largest data center campus in the Netherlands.
Last year, a local court in Chile, which is currently experiencing a decades-long drought, suspended a Google data center after locals discovered it would extract more than 7 billion liters of water annually.
The NAACP and other civil rights groups have filed an appeal against a permit that would allow Elon Musk’s xAI to use gas turbines to power its massive data center. Residents living near the facility said the emissions from the turbines were increasing air pollution in Memphis, an area that is made up of majority-Black communities.
Image: Iago Barreto Soares
