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Many individuals are sincere in their activism. But public opinion on data centers is likely being shaped by foreign actors, according to a report from the Bitcoin Policy Institute. (RELATED: CHRIS JOHNSON: AI Data Centers Can Win Over Skeptics. But It Must Learn From Fracking)

BPI's head of research Sam Lyman explained Wednesday that China uses social media as a "gain of function for their propaganda" on The Hill's "Rising."

"Through the networks that we've identified in this report, specifically US-based nonprofits, they're able to amplify a lot of anti-data center misinformation, and push those out into local communities in Utah, Idaho, Georgia, other places where these data centers are getting built."

BPI documents how Chinese Communist Party state media, nonprofits backed by billionaire businessman Neville Roy Singham, and "foreign-billionaire dark money" have campaigned to influence Americans' perception of artificial intelligence.

Singham is the subject of ongoing congressional investigations, and an interagency investigation conducted by the Department of Justice (DOJ), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and Department of War. Authorities are investigating Singham's alleged ties to the CCP, and whether he has violated the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) by failing to publicly disclose those ties. (RELATED: 'They're Up My Ass': Everything You Need To Know About Feds' Probe Into Left's Favorite Influencer)

Singham, who is based in Shanghai, has given over $278 million to thousands of left-wing nonprofits and other organizations since 2017, according to a Fox News investigation.

Singham told the NYT in an email, "I categorically deny and repudiate any suggestion that I am a member of, work for, take orders from, or follow instructions of any political party or government or their representatives."

"I am solely guided by my beliefs, which are my long-held personal views."

Singham is married to Code Pink co-founder Jodie Evans. Singham has given Code Pink approximately $1.4 million in direct funding - a quarter of its total funding - from sources "linked" to Singham, according to a letter written by Republican Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton in November 2025. Cotton petitioned then-Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate Code Pink for potential FARA violations.

Singham-funded and CCP-aligned CodePink highlighting "the US empire's last gasps and the pushback at home ... against data surveillance centers."

This is a tax-exempt "nonpartisan" nonprofit based right here in the United States.

Tune in to Code Pink radio's latest episode, titled, "US Empire in Free Fall & China on the Rise." In it, hosts discuss the "US empire's last gasps and the push-back at home as residents rise up against data surveillance centers."

Code Pink Milwaukee "disrupted" the American Economic Interest Summit in May, a man marching around with signs reading: "Data Centers Kill People & Planet."

An article by Code Pink media relations manager Melissa Garriga frames the data center debate in violent terms.

"Do towns that pride themselves on family values want to be the workforce behind a killing machine capable of murdering young girls?" Garriga asks. Garriga is referring to the use of AI in planning wartime operations.

Beyond Singham, BPI notes that foreign billionaires like Kristian Parker and Hansjörg Wyss are funneling money into anti-data center nonprofits. BPI points to anti-data center advocacy in CCP media, such as "China Daily" and "Global Times." (RELATED: Sam Altman Says He's 'Delighted To Be Wrong' About AI's Impact On Jobs)

Meanwhile, says BPI, "While Beijing's state media warns American audiences that data centers are environmentally and economically dangerous, the Chinese state subsidizes up to half of the energy costs of its own AI data center operators."

Data centers are an inevitability. We may decline to build them. China will not. It is critical that we do not adopt a federal moratorium on data centers, as Democratic Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have proposed.

We should seek to make data centers minimally disruptive to locals, yes. Making data centers look architecturally attractive would go a long way in this regard, but that's another topic entirely.