this post was submitted on 25 Oct 2026
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Before Google’s arrival a few months ago, an estimated quarter of a million trees occupied the 330 hectares (815 acres) of forest near the town of Muhos in rural northern Finland. Now they are all gone.

The news that the tech company illegally stripped the entire area to build a datacentre, after it failed to complete the necessary environmental impact assessments before clearcutting the land, has prompted national outcry over what role, if any, Finland should play in the global rush to build datacentres to keep up with rapid AI development.

Google’s Finland country manager, Antti Järvinen, has apologised for the forest clearings but claimed the company had acted “on the best understanding we had of the legislation at the time”.

With 145 new datacentres at various stages of planning, the Guardian’s Nordic correspondent, Miranda Bryant, looks at why Finland has found itself at the forefront of tech companies’ latest AI push - and speaks to the ecologist Mari Annala about the impact of Google’s tree-felling on the local environment.

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[–] Carl@hexbear.net 58 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (2 children)

Google’s Finland country manager, Antti Järvinen, has apologised for the forest clearings but claimed the company had acted “on the best understanding we had of the legislation at the time”.

Surely the government of Finland will treat Google's invocation of "I didn't know it was illegal" exactly the same way they would if a regular citizen said that after committing a crime. blob-no-thoughts

[–] GenderIsOpSec@hexbear.net 40 points 1 week ago

Surely the government of Finland will treat Google's invocation of "I didn't know it was illegal" exactly the same way they would if a regular citizen said that after committing a crime.

classic

[–] DragonBallZinn@hexbear.net 12 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

I fucking hate the smol beanification of the rich so much.

Anyone with a brain: “You’re committing ecocide, this is a crime. What do you say in your defense?”

Porky: bleh

[–] 9to5@hexbear.net 33 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

One bone broken for every twig snapped underfoot.

[–] simpletailor@hexbear.net 12 points 1 week ago

This is the only flavor text I recall from any MtG card during the ~10 years I played. I think about it every time I hear a twig snap.

[–] plinky@hexbear.net 21 points 1 week ago

did they think being a vassal meant only suzerain obligations to them or some shit?

[–] machiabelly@hexbear.net 19 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

This should be the death penalty. Make everyone in the C-Suite roll a dice, lowest score gets the firing squad

[–] Blibittyblah@futurology.today 16 points 1 week ago

People who live in Finland did the chopping.

[–] ksynwa@lemmygrad.ml 11 points 1 week ago

Someone here on hexbear wrote about this recently in the comments. I think they were Norwegian or at least familiar with Norway. Worth reading.

[–] Pastaguini@hexbear.net 10 points 1 week ago (1 children)

When google made this plan, I’m sure that they factored in the cost of whatever penalty they were going to need to pay for breaking the law and found that they would still profit.

[–] ziggurter@hexbear.net 4 points 1 week ago

and found that they would still profit.

* profit enormously.

[–] HexReplyBot@hexbear.net 2 points 1 week ago

I found a YouTube link in your post. Here are links to the same video on alternative frontends that protect your privacy: