Big Brother is coming for you, and his name is Palantir—a shadowy tech giant now allegedly building a centralized database with your most personal information at the behest of the federal government.
At a Glance
- The tech company Palantir is reportedly helping build a centralized database containing sensitive personal information on American citizens for the U.S. government.
- A March executive order by President Trump aims to consolidate data sharing among federal agencies, raising significant surveillance concerns.
- Palantir recently received a massive $795 million contract from the Department of Defense.
- The company denies being a “data hoarder,” claiming it only “processes” data provided by government agencies.
- Thirteen former Palantir employees have publicly criticized the company for allegedly deviating from its founding ethical principles.
The Digital Surveillance State Takes Shape
While we’ve been distracted by inflation and the border crisis, the federal government has been quietly building what could become the most expansive surveillance apparatus in American history. At the center of this operation sits Palantir Technologies, a company named after the all-seeing orbs from “The Lord of the Rings”—a naming choice that should have been our first red flag.
What makes this particularly concerning is a recent executive order signed by President Trump to consolidate data sharing among federal agencies. The order mandates that officials have “full and prompt access to all unclassified agency records, data, software systems, and information technology systems.” Combining this directive with Palantir’s data aggregation capabilities gives you the perfect recipe for a government that knows everything about everyone.
Follow The Money, Follow the Power
If you want to understand the scope of Palantir’s government entanglement, just follow the money. The company recently secured a $795 million contract from the Department of Defense, adding to its already substantial portfolio of federal work. The company becomes more deeply embedded in the systems that monitor American citizens with each new contract.
This consolidation of power in the hands of a few tech firms is exactly what visionaries like Carl Sagan warned about. “I have a foreboding of an America in my children’s or grandchildren’s time… when awesome technological powers are in the hands of a very few, and no one representing the public interest can even grasp the issues,” Sagan once wrote, a quote highlighted in a report by The Debrief.
Palantir’s Defense Falls Flat
Palantir vehemently denies being in the business of mass surveillance. In a post on its company blog, it insists that it merely “processes” data rather than collecting it—a distinction without a difference when the result is the same. They claim a commitment to privacy, but you enable surveillance by helping the government connect dots across vast datasets. It’s like saying, “I didn’t rob the bank; I just drove the getaway car.”
Perhaps most damning is the internal dissent now spilling into public view. As reported by NPR, thirteen former Palantir employees recently published an open letter criticizing the company’s collaboration with the Trump administration. “Early Palantirians understood the ethical weight of building these technologies,” they wrote. These principles have now been violated. “When those who helped build the system raise the alarm, we should all pay close attention.
