From KCRW in Santa Monica and PRI, Public Radio International, this is To the Point.

Is Internet technology really clean technology?

Hello again, I'm Arminolny, and this is an archived edition of To the Point from Public Radio International.

A daily look at the issues,

Americans count about most. Internet companies tell computer users their data is stored on a cloud,

and a lot of them worry that it might be disturbed by the weather. In reality, of course,

the cloud is millions of servers in hundreds of warehouse-sized buildings that can use enough electricity to power a medium-sized town.

The New York Times has created a furor by raising questions about how much energy is wasted

to make so much information available 24-7.

What about air pollution?

We'll talk about that today, and on reporters' notebook later on, the TSA is removing X-ray

scanners from major American airports.

First, here's the news.

Support for To the Point comes from the members of KCRW and from the Public Radio International Program Fund.

Hello again, I'm on Alney, back with To the Point.

Internet technology now

uses more electrical power than any other American industry except for manufacturing. How much

energy is wasted to keep your information available full time? Is there a dark side to the cloud?

On reporter's notebook, in some major American airports, travelers won't have X-ray

scanners to worry about anymore, and large numbers of those expensive machines are going to be left in a warehouse.

We'll find out why.

First, this news update.

...