{
  "id": 8805661,
  "title": "Who controls data controls the future",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/21/who-controls-data-controls-the-future",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-09-21T00:47:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/opinion/20260921/who-controls-data-controls-the-future"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In March, Iranian drones struck three Amazon Web Services facilities in Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, damaging two directly and narrowly missing the third. This marked the first instance of a commercial data center being targeted by a military, yet it received little attention from the public. It's high time that this incident gained more recognition. The servers containing a nation's data, as well as the chips powering the artificial intelligence (AI) models crucial to an economy's growth, are no longer mere background infrastructure. They have become as strategic as ports or power grids, and just as vulnerable. For much of the past decade, data was something businesses extracted, and AI was something companies produced — both were subject to regulation, albeit sparingly. However, this perspective is no longer valid. AI is now an integral part of finance, defense, healthcare, and public administration, and it relies on two resources that most governments simply do not possess: the data used to train it and the computing power required to process it. Nations that overlook this fact risk having their destinies determined in boardrooms where they have no influence.",
  "summary": "SAN FRANCISCO — In March, Iranian drones targeted three Amazon Web Services facilities in Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, hitting two directly and nearly hitting the third. It was the first time a commercial data center had been a military target, yet almost nobody outside specialist circles noticed. They should have. The servers holding a country’s data, and the chips running the…",
  "key_points": [
    "Iranian drones targeted Amazon Web Services facilities in Bahrain and UAE in March.",
    "Data centers storing nation's data and AI chips are strategic and vulnerable assets.",
    "Nations ignoring data and computing power risks losing control to boardrooms."
  ],
  "editors_take": "The growing reliance on data and AI in critical sectors means nations must now prioritize control over these resources or risk losing influence over their own destinies.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Korea Times",
        "title": "Who controls data controls the future",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/21/who-controls-data-controls-the-future-8807671",
        "published": "2026-09-21T00:57:03.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}