Topeka leaders wary of Compass Datacenters ties to AI surveillance
A data center company seeking to build in Shawnee County, Kansas, was previously involved in projects in Israel.
Reports indicate a Tel Aviv data center campus developed by Compass Datacenters was used for Israeli military surveillance.
Local community advocates and some city council members have raised concerns over the company's past and potential future use of the proposed facility.
A data center vying to develop in Shawnee County was involved with AI surveillance for the Israel Defense Forces.
Compass Datacenters developed a campus in Tel Aviv, which in 2024 was reportedly used to store military surveillance of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
"Tel Aviv is one of the most advanced tech markets in the Middle East," the data center company's website reads. "Compass has built multiple data centers in the area to support innovation and regional growth."
How did Compass Datacenters get involved the with Israeli-Palestinian conflict?
Amazon Web Services has three Israeli data centers located in Truvot, Shoham and Beit Shemesh, which is within the Tel Aviv region. Each facility's construction was done by Azrieli, a local real estate company, and Compass Datacenters. In July 2019, Azrieli acquired 20% of Compass for $135 million and made the joint bid for the data center projects.
Azrieli sold its sharesof Compass in June 2023 after the facilities were built. Compass still actively includes the project on its website under what communities it has worked in.
Compass didn't respond to requests for an interview.
Topekan concerned data center could be used for surveillance
Community advocate Danielle Twemlow found the connection between Compass and the IDF's use of AI surveillance on Palestinians. She told The Capital-Journal it raises the question of whether residents can be sure Compass won't develop the data centers for surveillance in Topeka and Shawnee County.
You (Compass) still display this center in Tel Aviv," Twemlow said. "You still have it on your website, and you talk about it. So, my question is, how do we know that the company that is coming into the data center is not some overarching surveilling company or has the best interest of our community in mind."
Shawnee County leaders decline to comment on Compass Datacenters
The Capital-Journal reached out to the Shawnee County commissioners for an interview to discuss Compass, but their media spokesperson declined the request.
"Because Compass has submitted an application that is now pending before the Board of County Commissioners, the Commissioners must avoid commenting on matters that could relate to that quasi-judicial proceeding or create the appearance that they have prejudged any aspect of the application," said Amanda Monhollon, Shawnee County public information officer. "Accordingly, the Commissioners are not in a position to discuss Compass’s background, prior projects, or other matters that could bear on their consideration of the pending application.
"The Board will evaluate the application based solely on the evidence and testimony through the public review process."
Mayor says transparency to decide whether to approve data centers
When asked if there are ways to dictate what kind of data centers could be built in the community, Topeka Mayor Spencer Duncan said there was no official way because of the law.
"All I can do is reverse engineer it," Duncan said. "Say, 'OK, what are you plans to use it for.' Then we in the community can make a determination on whether it is appropriate or it's not. That's the best we can do because we are just handcuffed by federal law on what local municipalities can do in these situations."
Duncan said he has never signed nondisclosure agreement with Compass or any other company as an elected leader and doesn't intend to do so with any company, even if not doing so means no finding out what would go in the proposed facility.
The Capital-Journal asked Duncan if a data center refusing to disclose the intentions of a proposed development would be a deal breaker for him.
"If you can't come into the community and explain who you are and what you do or what your purpose is," he said, "that's going to be a tough sell to this community. It's probably going to be a tough sell to elected leaders and maybe we're not the community for you."
Two council members concerned by Compass's past projects in Israel
Topeka City Council members Murray McGee and Michelle Bradberry have been some of the city's biggest advocates for taking time to learn more about Compass Datacenters and any other data centers interested in developing in the community.
McGee and Bradberry, along with councilwoman Christina Valdivia-Alcala, pushed for a 12-month long moratorium on data centers, which was recently expanded to deny utility access.
The Capital-Journal asked McGee and Bradberry about the connection Compass has with Israel Defense Forces AI military surveillance of Palestinians. Both said they were in shock.
"If all that information is accurate, that's extremely concerning given that Compass is wanting to do business in Shawnee County," Bradberry said. "It makes me very concerned about what the data center could actually be for, and we don't know. They haven't told us. I don't know that they're going to tell us. So that is something that I'd be concerned about."
McGee said the information was a lot to process, but that's why trying to learn is so important. He said he has asked what will go in the data center but hasn't been told.
"That's one thing they're not telling us," McGee said. "As a private company, I guess, they don't have to. But if they need public support, they should. And I also kind of think of something, the mayor said: 'It's on them to be the face of this. It's on them to step forward and it's on them to start answering questions.'"
Stacey Saldanha-Olson is an enterprise reporter for The Topeka Capital-Journal. She can be reached by email at solson@usatodayco.com. Follow her on X @ssaldanhao.