US software giant Palantir Technologies is expanding its work with several UK public bodies despite growing controversy over its political relationships, military contracts and the potential impact of its technology on privacy and civil liberties.
Founded in 2003, Palantir builds software used to combine, analyse and visualise large datasets for governments, security agencies, and businesses.
Government clients and company executives say the tools help institutions detect risks, improve efficiency and make faster decisions. However, privacy advocates, civil liberties groups, and academics argue that the same systems can enable intrusive surveillance and opaque decision-making if safeguards are weak.
The company has become politically contentious because of contracts with US immigration authorities, defence agencies and the Israeli government, as well as the outspoken politics of co-founder Peter Thiel, a prominent supporter of US President Donald Trump.
It has been accused of providing support to the Israeli military during the genocidal war on Gaza.
Palantir has rejected allegations that it facilitates unlawful conduct and says its products are used by customers under their own legal and ethical responsibilities. Growing UK footprint In Britain, Palantir has won or pursued work with the National Health Service (NHS), the UK Ministry of Defence, local councils and police forces.
Most recently, the Metropolitan police confirmed to The New Arab that it is conducting a time-limited pilot with the company.
"This pilot is a proactive step in modernising how we identify risk, support our people, and uphold the highest levels of integrity," a spokesperson said.
"The tool brings together internal data we already hold, allowing us to see potential warning signs earlier and more clearly than currently possible."
The force said the pilot forms part of a broader programme to improve culture, raise standards of behaviour and build public confidence.
The arrangement has alarmed campaign groups who question whether highly sensitive data linked to misconduct allegations, intelligence matters or victims should be processed through systems provided by a company with extensive defence and security ties.
Earlier reporting by The Guardian said senior Metropolitan Police officers had been shown Palantir systems and held discussions over wider use. NHS controversy Palantir has also faced fierce opposition over its £330 million NHS contract involving health data systems.
Trade unions, privacy advocates and some MPs have questioned whether enough safeguards exist around patient confidentiality, procurement transparency and long-term dependence on private contractors.
Andrea Egan, general secretary of UNISON, told The New Arab there had long been concerns about Palantir's role in the NHS and government more generally.
"There’s no good reason for a public health service to be in partnership with such an ethically questionable organisation," she said.
"I've already written to the health secretary to emphasise the risks to data confidentiality."
Palantir has previously alleged it does not own NHS patient data and "only" provides software infrastructure subject to NHS controls. Israel and immigration contracts The company has drawn sustained condemnation from human rights groups over work connected to the Israeli military during the Gaza genocide and earlier contracts with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement ( ICE ).
Campaigners and researchers have said that Palantir tools have been used to integrate intercepted communications, satellite imagery and other digital sources in support of Israeli military operations.
Public reporting has also linked Palantir systems to databases used by US immigration enforcement during deportation operations.
In comments previously reported by Al Jazeera , a Palantir spokesperson said the company supports Israel "because of the appalling events of October 7th" and believes in "supporting the West and its allies".
Rights advocates say such contracts risk making private technology firms complicit in abuses when deployed in war zones, occupation regimes or aggressive deportation regimes. Political and ideological scrutiny Palantir has also faced scrutiny over the politics of senior figures linked to the company. Co-founder Peter Thiel has long backed Trump-aligned causes and right-wing candidates in the US.
Separate scrutiny has also fallen on Thiel after disclosures showed Jeffrey Epstein invested heavily in Thiel’s Valar Ventures and received advice on opportunities including Palantir.
The company added to the controversy after publishing a 22-point manifesto on social media. One line stated: "The ability of free and democratic societies to prevail requires something more than moral appeal. It requires hard power, and hard power in this century will be built on software."
Civil liberties groups and anti-militarisation campaigners said the language reflected an overtly hard-power worldview in which surveillance technology, AI and military capability are treated as primary political tools.