The relationship between the UK government and the US tech giant Palantir is facing increased scrutiny amid recent developments. The arrest of former ambassador Peter Mandelson over his links to Jeffrey Epstein and his association with Palantir has drawn significant public attention. Palantir has been instrumental in supporting Israel's military operations in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, raising ethical and legal questions.
The UK government has entered into two major contracts with Palantir: a £240 million defence contract awarded in January 2024 and a £330 million deal with the Ministry of Health signed in November 2023. The contents of the latter contract, campaigners note, remain heavily redacted. Palantir opened its first office in Israel in 2015 and agreed to a "strategic partnership" with Israel in January 2024.
According to Open Intel, a platform tracking corporate involvement, Palantir has actively recruited veterans of Israel's Unit 8200 cyber intelligence wing, participating in data collection and compiling "kill lists" for operations in Gaza and the West Bank. While Palantir characterizes its technology as an analytical tool, UN officials and human rights researchers argue that such technologies allegedly shape the pace and scale of Israeli military actions.
Palantir's involvement with the UK's National Health Service (NHS) has also sparked controversy. In March 2020, the company accepted just £1 for an emergency contract to assist the NHS during the COVID-19 pandemic, gaining access to NHS data. This contract was later expanded to £23.5 million. Reports from Bloomberg suggest Palantir had a "secret plan" to entrench itself within the NHS without public scrutiny, a tactic known as "vendor capture."
UK government officials continue to defend the contracts with Palantir. Defence Secretary John Healey claimed the decision for the uncontested contract was his alone, with no role for Mandelson. Health Secretary Wes Streeting dismissed criticism of Palantir, emphasizing the importance of investments for patients. However, human rights organizations are calling for more rigorous due diligence by the UK government, particularly given Palantir's access to sensitive population data and national security information.
Source: www.aljazeera.com