Who was that masked company?

$20 million in tax credits for 50 present workers and plans for 24 more. Hey, it’s Microsoft. And Iowa.

http://www.wired.com/wiredenterprise/2013/06/microsoft-iowa-data-center/

“’Project Mountain’ is an expansion of Microsoft’s existing data center in West Des Moines, pushing the company’s investment in the region to the $1 billion range, says Debi Durham, director of the state agency in charge of economic development. The Iowa Economic Development Authority board approved $20 million in tax credits for the project.”

“Facebook announced a $1.5 billion data center in Altoona, Iowa last April, and Google already has a data center about two hours away in Council Bluffs, Iowa.”

(The story doesn’t say if the centers collect and store data, but there isn’t much else to do with information. With all the private companies collecting and storing, NSA’s $1 billion facility in Utah seems more of enlarging a fiefdom than a national security necessity.)