The Good Robot podcast: the battle over data centres with Tara Merk

Hosted by Eleanor Drage and Kerry McInerney, The Good Robot is a podcast which explores the many complex intersections between gender, feminism and technology. How can communities take back control of the digital infrastructure that powers everyday life? In this episode, Eleanor Drage speaks with Tara Merk about how community-owned data centers could transform digital ownership and challenge the dominance of Big Tech. The conversation explores alternative models of internet infrastructure that prioritize local empowerment, sustainability, and cooperative governance over corporate control. Drawing on examples from Germany's renewable energy sector and community-led initiatives, Merk reflects on how decentralized ownership models can create fairer and more environmentally responsible technological systems.