Palantir in NHS England: Fear of data power and political abuse
NGOs Medact and Amnesty criticize Palantir's NHS contract due to surveillance risks. The contract expires in 2027.
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The UK's healthcare system is increasingly facing criticism over its digital strategy with Palantir. A recent report by the health organization Medact warns of the risks of growing dependence on the US data analysis company, which is already used worldwide in sensitive areas such as US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). As the contract with NHS England expires at the beginning of 2027, Amnesty International, among others, is calling for its complete termination.
Medact highlights that the Federated Data Platform (FDP) could potentially be exploited – for example, for state surveillance or to enforce restrictive migration policies. According to Medact, a future government – particularly one led by the right-wing populist Reform UK, which plans a British ICE equivalent, according to the BBC – could exploit the software's connection with other Palantir products. The organization thus sees a danger that data could be exchanged “by drag & drop” and health, financial, and police data could be merged.
“We fear that a current or future government could misuse the data stored in the FDP by exploiting the interoperability of Foundry and its ability to access other government datasets,” says Medact. Palantir rejects the allegations to The Guardian. It has no intention of using the data as Medact describes. “Such actions would be illegal and violate the contract.”
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Medact also criticizes the controversial statements made by Palantir's founders. Peter Thiel, for example, stated that he does not believe freedom and democracy are compatible. CEO Alex Karp has spoken bluntly about how he wants to use drones against opponents – for instance, with “fentanyl-laced urine” against critical analysts.
Criticism and Resistance
More than 50,000 citizens are demanding an end to the use of the software and no further contracts in other regions with the campaign “No Palantir in the NHS.” NHS Greater Manchester has already pledged not to use Palantir's services, partly due to a lack of trust. Palantir already received the £330 million contract for the FDP in 2023 to connect data from NHS England, which human rights organizations have criticized ever since.
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