Residents of Dowagiac, Michigan, just filed a lawsuit against a data center that allegedly generates a high-pitched whining sound — and has done so 24/7 for the past two years.

The data center, which is owned by Alliance Cloud Services LLC, a subsidiary of Hyperscale Data, used to be an industrial building that sat behind a row of pine trees across the street from the most affected residents, according to ABC-affiliateWXYZ. The site started development in 2018 and was eventually turned into a cryptocurrency mining center in 2021. But in 2024, something changed drastically when the building started emitting noise pollution around the clock. Residents say it sounds like a vacuum cleaner in their living room, and the company has offered to buy up homes from unhappy residents.

          • Aqivex@fedinsfw.app
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            1 day ago

            Other poster isn’t being difficult, facetious, or provocative, btw. The scumbags have already done exactly that, in other US states, already. Often. The articles are all over Lemmy.

            • Catoblepas@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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              1 day ago

              Thanks, I missed that as I was skimming. Jeeze, really burying the lede there that a company already fucking up the neighborhood wants to get bigger.

          • Brickfrog@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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            1 day ago

            It’s mainly about the noise but the article does mention

            The company said that it’s planning to expand its operations in the footprint in the area, but the city said that it hasn’t received any permit applications.

            • anomnom@sh.itjust.works
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              1 day ago

              Expanding “in the footprint” would mean adding more operations to the existing property, not taking more property. Unless that’s a typo