Last Friday, New York Times An explosive report on the Trump administration’s work with Palantir could lead to the creation of a master database and provide information about every American. according to eraIf this type of “main list” is created, it will give the president “number of surveillance.”
President Donald Trump signed an executive order earlier this year to enable the federal government to share data about American institutions Americans. But we now know more about how the government intends to do this.
Trump has Utilize technology companies Palantir, co-founded by Trump and Republican Peter Thiel, to carry out these efforts. this New York Times The report said Palantir’s technology will allow you to collect sensitive information from agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the IRS. Various government databases have included information about American bank accounts, medical claims, disability, student debt amounts, and more, although not in a central location.
The Trump administration said it is seeking to “eliminate information silos for all agencies and simplify data collection to improve government efficiency and save hard-earned taxpayer dollars.” But the ghost of the central database is a nightmare for privacy regulators, even raising privacy and security issues for former Palantir employees.
What is palantir?
Palantir has become a leading data and analytics company over the past few years. Although Palantir does serve corporate clients, the company’s most outstanding and controversial work is for the federal government, especially the U.S. military and intelligence agencies, and governments around the world.
Palantir was founded by right-wing billionaire Peter Thiel with venture capitalist and entrepreneurs Joe Lonsdale, Stephen Cohen and Alex Karp, who are currently the company’s CEO. Thiel Lord of the Rings.
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Who is Peter Thiel?
If these names sound familiar, it’s Probably Thiel’s. Thiel is one of Paypal’s co-founders, the secret Valley Titan and the conservative “Kingmaker”. In fact, it was Thiel who eventually ousted Elon Musk, the company’s then-CEO CEO of Paypal. Musk was later removed and Thiel himself took over as Paypal CEO in 2000. In 2004, Thiel became Facebook’s first outside investor, turning his $500,000 investment into more than $1 billion.
Why is Palantir so controversial?
Palantir has demonstrated itself as a data and analytics company, but it is known for its high secrets in data mining and surveillance efforts. Palantir has always been criticize Provide intelligence services to help the Israeli army in the 2023 Israel-Hamas war. CEO KARP had previously confirmed that Palantir provides intelligence services to the IDF. In response, Palantir defended his cooperation with Israel and denied allegations of war crimes, as its most intense critics call it. As part of the Trump administration’s highly controversial policing and deportation efforts, Palantir has also been leveraged to help us Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) track immigration in the United States.
The company has been severely criticized by data privacy advocates, anti-war protesters and other organizations for years.
Why does the Trump administration collect data about Americans?
Palantir has been signed by the federal government for many years. For example, Palantir has previously worked with Health and Human Services to help track the Covid-19-19 pandemic.
But Palantier’s revenue and stocks have soared since Trump took office earlier this year. So far, Palantir has earned more than $113 million in revenue from the federal government. In addition, the Defense Department just received a $795 million contract award to Palantir last week. According to Palantir’s final quarterly report for 2024, the company received $1.2 billion in revenue from the U.S. government.
In addition, Palantir co-founder Thiel is also a major Republican donor. Over the years, he has donated tens of millions of dollars to the Republican Congress campaign and $1.25 million to Trump’s 2016 campaign.
according to New York TimesMusk and his Ministry of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are primarily responsible for selecting Palantir for data collection projects. Many Doge employees have previously worked for other companies funded by Palantir or Thiel.
