Amazon says it will stop using nondisclosure agreements when negotiating data center deals with local governments. Microsoft made a similar move earlier this year. The decisions put a spotlight on how secrecy around AI infrastructure deals has shaped community responses—and whether greater disclosure can help restore confidence.
Secrecy has become part of the debate
Data centers are essential to the infrastructure behind AI, but the deals to build them can be contentious. According to the source, secrecy has fueled community backlash against AI infrastructure. Opposition has contributed to hundreds of proposed and enacted moratoriums, from New York to San Francisco.
That context helps explain why a change in negotiation practices matters. When local governments and communities have limited information about proposed projects, it can be harder for them to understand what is being considered and to form a view of the process. Ending NDAs changes one condition around those discussions.
It does not, by itself, answer every question about a data center project or guarantee that opponents will support it. The source describes the policy shift as a response to backlash and poses the larger question of whether it will be enough to build trust.
What dropping NDAs could change
Amazon’s announcement signals a move away from keeping these local government negotiations confidential. Microsoft’s similar step earlier this year suggests the issue extends beyond one company. Together, the moves make transparency a more visible part of the conversation around data center development.
Openness can matter because trust depends in part on what people can know about a decision affecting their community. But a change in whether an NDA is used is only a change to the way a deal is negotiated. The source does not say that the underlying projects, terms, or community concerns will change as a result.
That leaves a practical test: whether less secrecy leads to a process that people see as more trustworthy. The announcement establishes a different approach to negotiations, while community responses will determine whether that approach addresses the concerns that have fueled opposition.
Trust is also a challenge for personal AI
The same TechCrunch podcast episode connects the data center debate to a separate question facing personal AI startups. A wave of startups is betting that consumers will grant AI agents access to their inboxes, files, and credit cards. That access depends on trust, and the source notes that these startups also need websites to let the agents in.
The two issues involve different kinds of decisions: local governments negotiating infrastructure deals and individuals deciding whether to share sensitive access with AI tools. Still, both bring trust to the foreground. In each case, people are being asked to accept a new arrangement involving AI, and openness is part of the broader discussion.
For data center developers, the immediate change is clear: Amazon says it will stop using NDAs in local government negotiations, following Microsoft’s earlier move. Whether that shift meaningfully reduces backlash remains an open question. The source frames trust as a central challenge, not a problem already solved by a policy announcement.
The question that remains
Ending NDAs may make data center deals less secret, but the source does not claim it will end opposition or moratoriums. The hundreds of proposed and enacted moratoriums described in the article show the scale of resistance, while the changes from Amazon and Microsoft show that companies are responding to concerns about secrecy.
For communities, the measure of success will be whether a more open process helps build confidence. For companies, the question is whether changing how negotiations happen can address the distrust surrounding AI infrastructure. The announcement is a step in that debate; whether it is enough is still unsettled.