All roads lead to Palantir

One name in tech has become embroiled in controversy: Palantir, a big-data analytics outfit.

Palantir weren’t that well known in the UK until the Covid-19 pandemic, when they were thrust into the national spotlight after the UK Government granted them access to reportedly unprecedented quantities of NHS patient data for processing and analysis in response to the novel Coronavirus.

Palantir isn’t just working with the NHS, yet despite their extensive work with the government could potentially be dealing with some of the most sensitive personal data that exists, there has been a serious lack of transparency around these contracts.

Find out more about what Palantir has been up to using our timeline.

Public private partnerships, like the ones between many branches of the UK government and Palantir, can have a direct and life-altering impact on people’s lives. The work that governments do, and the services they deliver, are vital. That’s why it is imperative that governments ensure transparency and due process are respected throughout these partnerships.

Serious questions remain that must be answered:

• In what ways will the public’s data be used by Palantir?
• What kind of safeguards, if any, were put in place before onboarding Palantir, and subsequently renewing its involvement?
• On what terms does Palantir access the public's data?

In this report, No Tech For Tyrants and PI present the findings so far from our long-term collaborative research effort to shed some light on the UK government’s extensive links with this tech company. We set out to explore these questions and seek greater transparency on how the UK public’s most sensitive data is being handled.

Following Palantir's response to our report we have updated it to ensure that there are no misunderstandings and to include their response in the annex.

Key Findings

• The NHS is not the only UK authority working with Palantir — the Cabinet Office, the police, the Ministry of Defence, and the Home Office have also had, or currently have, ties with the company
• The lack of transparency in all of these contracts is a consistent concern. Both with companies like Palantir, and with any other company the Government is partnering with – particularly this extensively – there should be robust safeguards to ensure transparency and accountability (see Recommendations for the steps we think should be taken)
• In the course of this ongoing research, No Tech for Tyrants and Privacy International have sent 11 Freedom of Information Requests, and yet received answers to only 4 so far. That is extremely concerning – and points to a broader failure of government to abide by existing regulation and to protect the public’s interest.

Recommendations for the UK Government:

At minimum we believe the government should:

1. Incorporate human rights safeguards into public sector procurement policy;
2. Provide human rights impact assessment of all contracts with Palantir;
3. Increase transparency and public scrutiny around contracts with Palantir and other tech companies.

What you can do now

All these changes are vital. We can’t wait for accountability. Sign this petition to make sure the Palantir/NHS datastore discussion gets the appropriate scrutiny in Parliament: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/332714

You can find, read, and download the full report at the bottom of this page.