A grassroots organizer who has voiced opposition to artificial intelligence data center development in Frederick County, Virginia, is affiliated with the Party of Socialism and Liberation (PSL), a group that has drawn scrutiny for its political ties and connections to a network linked to a Shanghai-based businessman with alleged ties to the Chinese Communist Party.
Jack Tensley, who has identified himself as an organizer with PSL, testified before the Frederick County Planning Commission in January, expressing concerns about the potential costs, energy consumption, and security risks associated with data center projects. "My really big fear here is the security risk," Tensley stated during his testimony. "We have infrastructure attacks and failures, cyberattacks that happen — I want to know if this puts a target on the back of Frederick County. I see a lot of risk here."
The PSL describes itself as a political party focused on anti-war, labor, immigration, and socialist causes. According to the Party for Socialism and Liberation's website, "The Party for Socialism and Liberation exists to carry out the struggle for socialism inside the United States." The group also states, "Capitalism is a failed system that, in its insatiable appetite for ever greater profits, threatens global ecological destruction."
A report by the Bitcoin Policy Institute (BPI), a cryptocurrency think tank, identified PSL as having organized anti-data center campaigns in at least 14 states, targeting approximately $23.6 billion in AI investments. The BPI report also highlighted connections between PSL and a network of nonprofits funded by Neville Roy Singham, an American expatriate living in Shanghai. Singham has reportedly faced congressional scrutiny over his alleged ties to the Chinese Communist Party.
According to a Fox News Digital investigation, Singham has funneled $278 million into a broad network of nonprofits since 2017. These groups have reportedly been involved in anti-immigration and enforcement (ICE), anti-Israel, and pro-Iran demonstrations. Senator Tom Cotton, R-Ark., has called for the Department of Justice to investigate this network, writing in a letter to acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, "Alarming reports indicate that a network of foreign actors, led by the Chinese Communist Party, is attempting to manipulate U.S. policy and public opinion on data centers."
The BPI report characterized PSL as the "movement’s ground game," providing necessary support for local opposition to data center projects through rallies, petitions, public hearings, and neighborhood organizing. While Tensley has donated to political figures like Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., contributing to his 2020 presidential campaign, it remains unclear if Singham directly funds PSL.
Tensley's opposition to data center plans in Frederick County appears to have had an impact. In June, the Frederick County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to recommend denial for a 220-acre development in Clearbrook, Virginia. The board also voted 7 to 1 to reject a separate 71.8-acre project in Winchester.