Google cleared 300 hectares of Finnish forest for a data center, and regulators want answers

6 days ago by Sunshine to c/boycottus

Google was apparently so eager to build its new data center infrastructure in Finland that it began bulldozing large swaths of forest before the required environmental review...

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Zensate 47 points 6 days ago

*Regulators want bribes

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stoy 42 points 6 days ago

I don't know about Finland as well as I know about Sweden, but here in Sweden, we don't really do outright bribes.

They are far too messy...

Instead, what happens is that a government official approves Company A for a large contract even though Company B had a batter and cheaper option. The reason is stated as somethibg nebulous and hard to disprove.

Then, a year or two later, the same government official resigns from office, and Company A quickly hires them as a coordination consultant between the company and the government.

And since the person has highly specific knowledge about not only the government, but the contract as well as contacts in the government, the company has a reason to offer a very high compenstation for the consultancy without it looking suspicious.

The person is retained by the company untill the "debt" is paid and the person leaves the company.

No bribe is paid, just a fair compensation to a consultant with highly relevant skills.

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MolochHorridus 12 points 6 days ago

Pretty much the same here in Finland, and that’s why we are one of the least corrupted countries around. We just keep it a bit more quiet and are 2nd of the list, not the 6th like the Sweden. Huzzah!

Google “Orpo Garden Helsinki” though if you’d like to read about recent amateurish attempt of our prime minister at high level corruption.

https://www.transparency.org/en/countries/finland

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kolmaskommentoija 1 point 5 days ago

Yeah no, it does not work directly like that, around here. If they thought they can just buy their way quickly out of this... Now that they got caught, Google just brought upon itself a good round of the Nordic bureaucracy hell. And if they managed to piss of the locals, the complaints alone can delay the whole thing easily for years, lmao.

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Zensate 1 point 5 days ago

Oh you sweet Summer child

I'm Nordic as well, it's over

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