Case study Palantir

Palantir is often considered one of the world's most controversial technology companies due to its deep ties to government surveillance, military operations, and high-profile political figures. 

The following factors contribute to its  reputation:

• Support for Immigration Enforcement (ICE): Palantir’s software has been instrumental in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations, including workplace raids and tracking undocumented immigrants. Critics argue this enables "deportation by algorithm" and has contributed to human rights concerns, such as family separations.

• Predictive Policing and Racial Bias: Law enforcement agencies have used Palantir for predictive policing, which aims to forecast where crimes might occur. Civil rights groups, like the ACLU, warn that these tools can entrench racial bias by relying on historically skewed arrest data.

• Military Involvement and the "Kill Chain": Palantir provides AI and data analytics to global militaries, including the U.S. and Israel. CEO Alex Karp has openly stated that the company's software is used to help "kill people" in combat situations, which has led to employee resignations and protests.

• NHS Data Privacy Concerns: In the UK, Palantir’s £330 million contract to run the NHS Federated Data Platform sparked backlash. Medical professionals and privacy advocates worry about the security of patient data and the lack of transparency in how the contract was awarded.

• Political Ties and Ideology: The company’s co-founder, Peter Thiel, is a prominent conservative libertarian and donor to Donald Trump, while CEO Alex Karp has positioned Palantir as an "anti-woke" firm that has "chosen sides" to defend Western interests. Recently, Palantir has been linked to the Trump administration’s DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) initiative to create unified federal databases.

• Secrecy and Naming: Named after the "seeing stones" from The Lord of the Rings, the company has historically been highly secretive about its contracts and capabilities, often being described as the "scariest" of the tech giants.

In November 2023, NHS England awarded a 7-year, £330 million contract to a consortium led by US data analytics firm Palantir to build the Federated Data Platform (FDP). The system integrates data across trusts to improve care, with implementation ongoing amid significant controversy.  No Palantir in the NHS, a growing natio­nal campaign of NHS workers, patients and community groups. By now the roll-out of the platform should be well underway. Here Corporate Watch analyses the impact of Palantir’s encroachment on the NHS and amplifies the voices of the health workers on the front line of this fight.