--- id: "digest:115" type: "Reboot Democracy weekly news digest (News That Caught Our Eye)" title: "Reboot Weekly: 46 Blocked Data Centers, NYC's AI Report, and Anthropic's Watchlist" url: "https://rebootdemocracy.ai/newsthatcaughtoureye/115" edition: "115" date: "2026-09-28" authors: ["Elana Banin and Dane Gambrell"] source: "Reboot Democracy (rebootdemocracy.ai)" licence: "none stated" --- # Reboot Weekly: 46 Blocked Data Centers, NYC's AI Report, and Anthropic's Watchlist By Elana Banin and Dane Gambrell · 28 September 2026 At least 46 AI data center projects — more than $170 billion in announced investment — have been blocked, withdrawn, or stalled since 2024 following community opposition. In this week's Reboot piece, Beth Simone Noveck and Deborah Stine argue trust is the infrastructure data centers are missing, and developers can pay for the community conversation without owning it. Rutgers' National AI Opinion Monitor shows why: AI adoption hit 72% in August while worry climbed to 50% and anger to 30%. NYC's Public Advocate has called for an AI bill of rights; the Maldives' Prosecutor General now requires courtroom disclosure of AI use; and The American Prospect reports Anthropic has been running a predictive surveillance system that flagged suspected dissenters to police. ## Events **TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29 · 2:00 PM ET: Try Before and After You Buy** With Patrick McLoughlin and Kathrin Frauscher, moderated by Deborah Stine (co-author of this week's Reboot piece on AI data centers). How agencies can monitor AI performance over time, detect emerging problems, and know when a working implementation needs adjustment. Part of the *Practical Approaches to Evaluating AI for Public Benefit* series. [ [Register for free](https://innovate-us.org/register) → ] Also coming up: - **October 5, 2:00 PM ET **— AI Across the Procurement Lifecycle — Where Does It Actually Fit? With Angela Shell and Emily Royall *(AI for Public-Sector Procurement series)* - **October 6, 2:00 PM ET** — Principles for Public-Sector AI Evaluation, with Dan Chenok and Michael Chen, moderated by Beth Simone Noveck *(Practical Approaches to Evaluating AI for Public Benefit series)* [ [See all workshops](https://innovate-us.org/workshops) → ] ## AI and Public Engagement ### [The $170 billion lesson data center developers keep learning the hard way](https://rebootdemocracy.ai/blog/the-170-billion-lesson-data-center) Fast Company / Reboot Democracy · Deborah Stine and Beth Simone Noveck · 2026-09-28 > Governors now want local buy-in before data centers get built. That means bringing residents in before the design is set, and paying for independent help without steering the conversation. At least 46 AI data center projects have been blocked, withdrawn, or stalled since 2024. The answer isn't a better sales pitch. It's giving communities a real say, and the resources to use it. ### [Helping civic leaders hear every voice](https://medium.com/jigsaw/helping-civic-leaders-hear-every-voice-5704646900d6) Medium / Jigsaw · Angelo Carino · 2026-09-22 > Jigsaw’s Sensemaking AI analyzes large-scale public input to identify common ground that town halls or polls might miss, with deployments planned across 30 cities, states, and countries. Its open-source code lets civic technologists and partners like Change.org adapt the tool for their own public engagement efforts. ### [National AI Opinion Monitor: AI Attitudes, Work, and Regulation in America](https://naiom.net/public-reports/NAIOM%20Report%2004%20AI%20Attitudes%20Work%20and%20Regulation.pdf) National AI Opinion Monitor and Rutgers University · Katherine Ognyanova, Vivek Singh, Eunbin Ha, and Ata Uslu · 2026-08-31 > AI adoption reached 72% in August 2026, yet public worry climbed to 50% and anger to 30%, according to the National AI Opinion Monitor. Support for mandatory AI disclosures spans party lines, while a majority oppose unsupervised AI decisions in hiring, loans, and healthcare. ## AI for Governance ### [How the Maldives' Prosecutor General wrote its AI policy into the tech stack](https://govinsider.asia/intl-en/article/how-the-maldives-prosecutor-general-wrote-its-ai-policy-into-the-tech-stack) GovInsider · Si Ying Thian · 2026-09-14 > The Maldives’ Prosecutor General’s Office requires courtroom disclosure of any AI processing so defense counsel can cross-examine its use, alongside written approval for high-risk applications. Live case data stays on self-controlled, on-premises infrastructure using Dhivehi language models. ## Governing AI ### [Artificially inevitable: NYC public advocate releases new report on the role of AI and necessary guardrails in NYC](https://advocate.nyc.gov/press/artificially-inevitable-nyc-public-advocate-releases-new-report-on-the-role-of-ai-and-necessary-guardrails-in-nyc) NYC Public Advocate Press Office · Jumaane D. Williams · 2026-09-14 > The New York City Public Advocate released a report calling for safe, socially responsible, and transparent AI in local government, with strong data consent rules, workforce protections, procurement standards, and public engagement. It also urges state-level transparency, corporate liability for false AI information, and a comprehensive AI bill of rights to ensure meaningful human oversight. ## AI and Public Safety ### [Anthropic Is Building a Predictive Surveillance System to Monitor Activists](https://prospect.org/2026/09/09/anthropic-artificial-intelligence-surveillance-system-monitor-activists/) The American Prospect · Daniel Boguslaw · 2026-09-09 > According to The American Prospect, Anthropic has already used its monitoring system to track protests near executives and facilities and report suspected dissenters to police. The company is also expanding its global threat intelligence team and pursuing national security contracts, extending its efforts beyond internal corporate security. Each item quotes its source; the excerpts are that publication's words. Follow the link for the original. * * * Original page: https://rebootdemocracy.ai/newsthatcaughtoureye/115 · Licence: none stated