Reports that about 300 hectares of forest were cleared at planned Google data center sites in Finland before environmental impact assessments were complete have resurfaced. The company initially maintained that the work followed local rules, but critics argued that logging and land preparation were determining the project’s impacts in advance. Follow-up reporting confirmed that Finnish regulators ordered preparatory work, including topsoil removal and road work, in Muhos and Kajaani to stop until the assessments are complete. The company said its actions had fallen short of expected standards and that it would comply. References to a preliminary investigation do not establish an unlawful act or criminal liability.