Erick Erickson: Our broken trust -
Erick Erickson's column discusses the erosion of public trust in institutions, using the COVID-19 pandemic as a primary example. He links this decline in trust to current local-level opposition against data center developments and Flock cameras. Erickson argues for greater transparency from both AI executives and government officials to rebuild public confidence regarding these projects.
In an opinion piece published by Maui News, conservative commentator Erick Erickson argues that the widespread public distrust in institutions, fostered during the COVID-19 pandemic, is now fueling local controversies over data center developments and Flock cameras across the United States. Erickson posits that officials and experts damaged public faith through inconsistent messaging and actions during the pandemic, leading to a general skepticism towards authority.
Erickson highlights that these broader societal issues manifest in "fights now burning down county commission meetings" concerning data centers and surveillance technology. He reveals a personal impact, stating his backyard is slated for excavation for a natural gas pipeline to power a data center located hundreds of miles away. While acknowledging the necessity for increased compute power, Erickson notes the substantial public opposition, drawing parallels to past debates over fracking.
He attributes much of this opposition to the perceived arrogance and lack of transparency from "AI executives," whom he describes as out of touch with the general public. To mend this broken trust, Erickson urges data center proponents to release water consumption and power ratepayer data, eliminate nondisclosure agreements with county commissioners, and enforce stricter accountability for potential abuses of surveillance data.