Palantir Technologies
Palantir Technologies is a U.S.-based software company known for its powerful data analytics platforms used by governments and enterprises to track objects and people, suggest actions, and predict behaviors. Palantir has obtained access to many government data sources, as well as private sector partnerships, in order to expand its data collection and surveillance capabilities.[1]
Founded in 2003 by Peter Thiel, Alex Karp, Stephen Cohen, Joe Lonsdale, and Nathan Gettings, Palantir specializes in developing software for integrating, analyzing, and visualizing large datasets.[2] It is one of two notable companies whose name is taken from The Lord of the Rings universe, the other (also having significant involvement by Thiel) is defense company Anduril Industries.
Originally based in Palo Alto, California, the company first relocated to Denver, but in February 2026 announced a relocation to Miami.
What they Do
Palantir has become infamous in recent years for its mass surveillance infrastructure, and its work collecting data from dozens of US government agencies and unspecified numbers of private enterprises, in order to create a single centralized database containing detailed behavioral and financial records on every person in the United States. This ranges from taxpayer data from the IRS, to tracking data on illegal immigrants.[3][1][4]
Palantir was also instrumental in the Iraq war of the early 2000s, as it attempted to analyze behaviors in order to identify terrorists.[5] They were similarly involved in the strike on Iran in 2026.[6][7][8][9] "Palantir Technologies (PLTR) has proven to have great war fighting capabilities and equipment," said US President Donald Trump (2026)[10]
However, they also handle other forms of data analytics. For example, they were awarded a $5.3 million contract from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2020, to manage COVID-19 vaccine distribution[11] A few years later, they were awarded another CDC contract, that time for $344 million, to "Help Modernize CDC’s Public Health Infrastructure"[12]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 https://theconversation.com/when-the-government-can-see-everything-how-one-company-palantir-is-mapping-the-nations-data-263178
- ↑ The Brave New War Machine. How a Clique of Unhinged Techno-Optimists Is Putting Humanity at Risk, By Janet Abou-Elias and William D. Hartung, March 8, 2026. tomdispatch.com
- ↑ https://sites.suffolk.edu/jhtl/2025/10/07/palantir-spearheads-as-the-master-database-on-americans/
- ↑ https://thedebrief.org/tech-firm-palantirs-government-work-on-data-collection-sparks-new-privacy-fears/
- ↑ https://www.flyingpenguin.com/how-palantirs-gods-eye-created-the-very-terrorists-it-promised-to-find/
- ↑ https://www.ibtimes.com/palantirs-ai-powers-us-strikes-iran-war-speeding-kill-chain-first-major-ai-driven-conflict-3800993
- ↑ https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/militarys-use-ai-explained
- ↑ https://www.jpost.com/defense-and-tech/article-890738
- ↑ https://the307.substack.com/p/how-palantir-leads-the-military-industrial
- ↑ https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4374423/posts
- ↑ https://www.palantir.com/newsroom/press-releases/cdc-partners-with-palantir-to-bolster-the-fight-against-covid-19/
- ↑ https://www.govconwire.com/articles/palantir-secures-443m-cdc-tech-support-contract
