Keep Calm and Delete Your Old Emails to Conserve Water

From a press release from the UK’s National Drought Group this week, quoting group chair Helen Wakeham (emphasis added):

“We are grateful to the public for following the restrictions, where in place, to conserve water in these dry conditions. Simple, everyday choices — such as turning off a tap or deleting old emails — also really helps the collective effort to reduce demand and help preserve the health of our rivers and wildlife.”

To reaffirm that she did not misspeak, from a list of tips for conserving water at home, which includes legit tips like taking shorter showers and turning off the tap while brushing your teeth (Sidenote: Who leaves the water running while brushing their teeth?):

Delete old emails and pictures as data centres require vast amounts of water to cool their systems.

This is so profoundly stupid and wrong that I don’t even know how to make fun of it. But it sure speaks to how futile it might be to hope that the UK government understand the first thing about end-to-end encryption. (Via Jason Eccles.)

★ Friday, 15 August 2025