“We pissed off a lot of people”: A large data center system cut 50% between protests

Although reports show—and Adams said that was the case in Utah—that communities have real concerns that are causing the rise of dissent, not everyone agrees that the high level of social inequality in the US is fair or equal.

On Bluesky, Will Stancil, a lawyer, activist, and housing law researcher, commented on the HeatMap study, pointing out that it seems unusual for public opinion to change so quickly without a “big data disaster.” In his thread, Stancil promoted the response that the data center backlash “hits the algo,” raising the theory that social media is driving anti-data center sentiment.

And while O’Leary blamed himself and Adams for making “mistakes” in Utah, he said the protests he faced in the state were caused by interference from other states, NBC News reported. He accused China of funding the Alliance for a Better Utah to mount a smear campaign to reinstate his job, which the nonprofit has denied.

“All these people have a right to information,” O’Leary said. “Why are they getting it from false information? Who is spending all this money to spread all these lies and misinformation and lies and confuse these people?”

In a wordsElizabeth Hutchings, communications manager for the Alliance for a Better Utah, mocked the Montreal-born O’Leary, defending the 15-year-old group’s reputation and saying, “The only foreign interest in this data is Kevin from Canada.”

“It is insulting to Utahns across the state to say that opposing or objecting to a data center is the work of a foreign government,” Hutchings said. “We are proud to live in a country where there are people who care deeply about transparency, their community and the future of their children. It is not unusual for us that Utahns want to hear about the decisions that will affect their lives for years to come.”

Hutchings agreed with Williams that “the stories of an unpopular and difficult job in Box Elder County persist.”

“This is not the first time we have had to deal with bullies like Kevin trying to intimidate us into keeping quiet,” Hutching said. “No amount of fake news and big distractions can stop us from talking about the real issue: the lack of transparency from our government.”