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MoD sources warn Palantir role at heart of government is threat to UK security (thenerve.news)

679 points by vrganj · 122 days ago · 293 comments on HN

Article summary

UK Ministry of Defence sources warn that Palantir's role in the UK government poses a national security threat, as the company can build a detailed picture of the British population and infer state secrets. The sources claim that Palantir's technology allows it to aggregate data from different government datasets, potentially giving it access to sensitive information. This has raised concerns about the company's influence and the potential risks to UK security. The UK government has contracts with Palantir worth hundreds of millions of pounds.

Main themes

  • Palantir's national security threat
  • Government contracts and influence
  • Data aggregation and privacy concerns
  • Technology and innovation
  • Government IT capabilities
  • Private company involvement in government
  • Security risks and dependencies
  • Company lineage and ethics

What commenters say

  • Palantir's technology is not particularly innovative or complex, and its success can be attributed to other factors such as marketing and connections.
  • The company's ability to aggregate data and build a detailed picture of a population is a significant threat to privacy and security.
  • Palantir's product is light years ahead of anything any government IT project has ever delivered, and its capabilities are unparalleled.
  • The value of Palantir and similar companies lies not in their technology, but in their user interface, brand identity, and customer relationships.
  • Government agencies are often unable to compete with private companies like Palantir in terms of talent and salary, which can lead to a reliance on external contractors.
  • The use of Palantir's technology in government agencies can create a cycle of dependence, where the agency becomes reliant on the company's services and is unable to develop its own capabilities.
  • The company's lineage and connections to fascist ideologies are a cause for concern and warrant scrutiny.
  • The benefits of using Palantir's technology, such as improved data aggregation and analysis, do not outweigh the potential risks to security and privacy.