Research highlights the environmental impact of "dark data"—data stored on servers that is rarely or never accessed again. This includes unused memes, emails, and other digital content that contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. Professor Ian Hodgkinson from Loughborough University found that 68% of data stored by companies is never reused, with similar patterns likely in personal data. Data centers, expected to account for nearly 6% of the UK's electricity usage by 2030, are a growing concern. Hodgkinson emphasizes that small actions, like sending fewer unnecessary emails, can help reduce one's carbon footprint, though tech companies have financial incentives to retain data.
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Discussion (1)
I used to work in a data warehouse, and the amount of energy being used to continue to keep those machines running was astounding. I highly doubt most people even cared about a fraction of the stuff on those servers, not to mention NOTHING was every reduced, only gained. The policy was to archive all data, never delete.