What is Palantir? Meet the AI tech titan powering Trump-era surveillance and data operations

US president Donald Trump signed an executive order earlier this year to let the federal government exchange data between agencies, and this initiative would be backed by a technology company, Palantir Technologies, as per a report.

Palantir’s Role in a Major Federal Data Push

Palantir is a data analytics company co-founded by billionaire investor and Trump supporter and Republican megadonor Peter Thiel, as per New York Times.

The company has got over $113 million from the federal government this year, and last week, the Department of Defense awarded Palantir a $795 million contract, according to the report. Palantir's final quarterly report for 2024 mentioned that the company made $1.2 billion in revenue from the US government last year, reported New York Times.

The firm's technology can gather and analyze enormous volumes of data for numerous government agencies, such as Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and the IRS, as per the New York Times. While, several government databases already include information on Americans' bank account numbers, medical claims, disabilities, student debt amounts, and more, but the data is not stored in one central place, as per the report.

The Trump administration aims to “eliminate information silos and streamline data collection across all agencies to increase government efficiency and save hard-earned taxpayer dollars,” quoted the New York Times.

Tech billionaire Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) were reportedly responsible for choosing Palantir for the data collection project, according to the report.

Palantir’s History of Controversy

While Palantir has already had contracts with the federal government, as it previously worked with Health and Human Services to help track the COVID-19 pandemic, the firm has been criticised by data privacy advocates, anti-war protesters, and other organisations over the years for its data mining and surveillance work, as per New York Times. For instance, Palantir faced backlash for providing intelligence services to aid the Israeli military in the 2023 Israel-Hamas war, as per the report.

FAQs

Why did Trump choose Palantir?
Because of its long-standing work with federal agencies and its ability to handle large-scale data. The decision also came from a team previously led by Elon Musk’s DOGE.

Could this affect my personal privacy?
Possibly. Centralising sensitive data in one place increases the risk of misuse or breaches.