The British government has awarded US spy tech firm Palantir a multi-million-pound contract to manage a national police database despite growing public concern about the secretive company's influence over UK public services.
The £9 million contract will see the controversial company set up a system for managing firearms licenses on behalf of all 43 police forces in England and Wales.
The award came two days before MPs urged the government to roll back Palantir's involvement in Britain's public services and several weeks after London's mayor blocked a major deal with the Metropolitan Police.
Palantir – whose co-founder Peter Thiel and CEO Alex Karp are staunch Trump supporters - has become notorious for its collaboration with Israel and US immigration authorities.
The $340 billion company is thought to have assisted the Israeli military creating AI-generated 'kill lists' during its genocidal assault in Gaza. It was among dozens of Western firms accused by UN special rapporteur Francesca Albanese of "profiting from genocide".
Meanwhile, US authorities have used its data mining and AI technologies to conduct mass surveillance on migrants and pro-Palestine protesters.
"Palantir is here to disrupt … and when necessary scare enemies and on occasion kill them," Karp told shareholders in a 2024 investor call.
The company's involvement in domestic surveillance and military operations has fuelled a growing campaign in the UK to block its involvement in public services.
Its £330 million contract to manage medical data on behalf of the NHS has generated particularly strong opposition amid privacy fears and concerns over Thiel's ambitions to privatise the service.
The libertarian billionaire has previously suggested the government "rip [the NHS] from the ground and start over".
Palantir has also won a £240 million contract with the UK's defence ministry while its AI systems are now used by police forces and the country's financial regulator.
In its report on Wednesday, the parliamentary Science, Innovation and Technology Committee called the company's growing footprint in the UK an "unacceptable point of weakness".
"Of the small number of technology providers that the UK public sector relies upon, Palantir concerns us most," the report said.
The company is a "clear mismatch with UK values" due to its involvement in "highly controversial policies and activities," it said.
Committee chair Dame Chi Onwurah MP said the growing reliance on US tech giants leaves the UK "seriously exposed" and called on the government to diversify its suppliers.
In May, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan blocked a £50 million deal that would have seen the company automate intelligence analysis for the Metropolitan Police.
Khan said there had been a "clear and serious breach" of procurement rules after it emerged the police had not considered other companies for the contract.
The latest contract with the police will see Palantir operate the firearms registry for up to 10 years. The database will also record information relating to licenses for explosives, explosive precursors and poisons.