Recent announcements that the federal government is enlisting the services of data-integration and analytics company, Palantir, are raising eyebrows across the political spectrum. Depicted as a tool through which to fulfill Donald Trump’s executive order entitled “Stopping Waste, Fraud, and Abuse by Eliminating Information Silos,” the partnership would realize this goal by merging disparate databases to create comprehensive dossiers on millions of Americans.
Two of the Palantir principal software platforms, Gotham and Foundry, specialize in the transformation of vast amounts of information into integrated data assets upon which their Apollo and Artificial Intelligence Platform (AIP) provide analysis and autonomous deployment of desired activities. These software services have been previously used by the federal government for purposes of warfare, intelligence, and counter-terrorism.
While White House spokesperson, Taylor Rogers, describes the goal of this initiative as to “increase government efficiency and save hard-earned taxpayer dollars,” critics of this move, including Palantir insiders and civil rights groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union, warn of potential abuses. Criticisms of this policy are not limited to the left-leaning and centrist detractors that one might expect to sound the alarm, but also include public figures who self-identify as MAGA supporters.
The need for such a centralized system is presented as a remedy for issues that are of concern to many citizens such as financial fraud, crime, election fraud, and illegal immigration. Palantir has already been awarded a $30 million contract called “Immigration OS” with a mission to assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in identifying illegal immigrants for arrest and deportation.
What is not being presented by the administration is the potential for abuse of these systems in regards to violations of privacy and civil liberties. There is growing concern that this streamlining of information could ultimately be weaponized against the American people as a “digital dragnet” that could be wielded for political purposes.
Of particular concern to many privacy advocates is the merging of government and commercial databases. By purchasing data and systems regularly collected by commercial enterprises like airlines, cell phone services, and medical providers, and including that information in these databases, government will have unprecedented access into the privacy of every American.
Voices concerned with violations of civil rights are drawing comparisons to China’s social credit system which draws upon data collected from private sector activities such as retail purchases and utility usage. A major component of the system is the “police cloud” which allows police to access eleven pages of data on individuals through facial recognition systems. This process is made possible through large databases created by data fusion.
This merging of data would also expand the capabilities of predictive policing, a practice with a history of abuse. Although Palantir has been involved with these types of procedures for many years on a smaller scale, a federal record adds an additional dimension to this practice that makes it essentially inescapable. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has supported the proliferation of data fusion centers that link local surveillance and real-time crime centers which could easily provide the means for calculating a federal threat score for purposes of fighting terrorism. This score is a type of passive surveillance that predicts the likelihood that someone will engage in illegal acts based upon data analysis. This type of monitoring is quite different from the active surveillance that takes place upon an individual who is suspected of a crime that has, in fact, been committed.
This project is in alignment with Project Stargate, a Trump initiative that seeks to accelerate development of data centers and AI infrastructure through up to $500 billion in investments. That infrastructure is crucial to meet the energy, storage, and processing demands that would be required to establish these databases and perform the analysis. To fulfill this mission, the administration is forging relationships with an array of tech giants in addition to Palantir, including Open AI, Oracle, and SoftBank.
Critics of these projects point to troubling rhetoric from leaders of these companies that would indicate an objective of control rather than efficiency. In describing the goal of these initiatives, Larry Ellison, co-founder of Oracle Corporation, said that, “citizens will be on their best behavior because we’re constantly recording and reporting everything that’s going on.” Alex Karp, CEO of Palantir, stated on an earnings call that, “Palantir is here to disrupt, and make the institutions we partner with the very best in the world and, when it’s necessary, to scare enemies and, on occasion, kill them.” This alludes to the current use of the software in unmanned warfare in conjunction with weapons manufacturers like Anduril.
Notable as well are the ties that the company has to previous state-run surveillance efforts and key political figures. In the wake of the shuttering by Congress of the Pentagon’s Total Information Awareness (TIA) project for its unconstitutional surveillance aspects, Palantir was born, placing the objectives of the government-run initiative into private hands. Company founder, Peter Thiel, played a substantial role in the rise to power of Vice President, JD Vance, and covid lockdown architect, Deborah Birx, enjoys a position on the firm’s federal advisory board.
Some Congressional representatives are expressing concern over the project, while demonstrating that the Trump administration is embarking upon yet another broad move that impacts the American public while leaving the legislative body in the dark. Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Kentucky, stated, “All I’ve seen is what’s in social media and it sounds bad.” Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said, “I’ve seen the headlines, but I haven’t seen the specifics so, until I review the specifics, I’ll refrain from commenting.” Time will tell whether these concerns will grow into the determination needed to either halt or hinder these efforts.
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Elizabeth Melton
Elizabeth Melton is a founding member of Banish Big Brother, focusing on education and strategy against government surveillance—a passion ignited after attending a shocking local smart city meeting. She is also the founder of The Gray Matter Project, producing documentaries on critical issues that deserve greater attention.