Wisconsin: Paid Social Media Posters Recruited Under Nondisclosure Agreement to Promote OpenAI/Oracle/Vantage Port Washington Data Center, Wisconsin Watch Reports

Wisconsin Watch reported that a Wisconsin political operative approached at least one writer about posting social media comments favorable to the OpenAI/Oracle/Vantage data center in Port Washington, part of an effort to recruit people to write paid social media posts for the project. Those interested must sign a nondisclosure agreement even before applying: a document the newsroom viewed requires them “to keep this document, survey and all emails about this project confidential.” Vantage, the developer, said “any partnerships are disclosed in accordance with applicable advertising guidelines and creators maintain editorial control over their content.” Asked about its own Wisconsin project, a Meta spokesperson said “no such efforts are in place.”

State legislation introduced in February to bar nondisclosure agreements between data center developers and local governments did not become law. Its author, Rep. Clint Moses, R-Menomonie, said he would reintroduce it when the session begins in January and extend it to the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp., which Wisconsin Watch reported has signed at least five NDAs with data center developers. Wisconsin Watch discloses that the OpenAI Foundation recently awarded it a grant.