Palantir, Surveillance and Technofascism

Big data and surveillance tech firm Palantir is working with the U.S. government to bring its software into multiple government agencies under the Trump administration. In April, Wired reported that the company had a $30-million contract with ICE to provide “near real-time visibility” on immigrants in the country. Late in May, the New York Times revealed that the company is expanding its government work across agencies including the Social Security Administration, Department of Homeland Security, Health and Human Services and more in $113 million in new contracts - on top of the $795 million they were just awarded by the Pentagon.

CIA-connected Palantir counts the Agency’s investment firm In-Q-Tel as an early backer, and was founded in 2003 by hardcore conservative libertarian Peter Thiel along with current CEO Alex Karp and two others. It’s worked with the U.S. government as well as allies in Ukraine, Israel, Australia and many private companies. Its growth as a private partner in the extension of U.S. government surveillance and data collection in the age of AI should be a cause of concern for all people no matter which party is in the White House.