Palantir is a spy-tech firm, known for developing technology used for mass surveillance, predictive policing, and drone strikes. In 2023 Palantir was awarded a £330 million contract with the NHS, to build the federated data platform (FDP).

Palantir’s involvement in human rights abuses makes it an unacceptable and unsuitable partner for the NHS:

• Palantir have enabled drone strikes in Iraq, Afghanistan and Palestine which have lead to civillian deaths and casualties.

• Palantir’s software Maven Smart System was used by the US military to enable strikes against Iran in Operation Epic Fury. On the first day of the operation, the US struck a primary school, killing between 175 and 180 people.

• Palantir’s software is used by Immigration and customs enforcement (ICE) in the US to track and deport migrants. This software enables raids which tear thousands of families apart and have been known to target unaccompanied children.

• Palantir developed systems used for mass surveillance, racial profiling and racist predictive policing. In the US and in Germany, there have been legal challenges raised against Palantir’s use of sensitive personal data for these means.

These are not the ethics we want in our public services.

Here are five reasons why you should be concerned about Palantir’s £330 million contract with the NHS:

1. Patient safety will be at risk

Experts have raised concerns about data security in Palantir's system and how the information Palantir will have access to can be exploited. Patients will have no say in this as there is no way to opt out of sharing data.

Health-workers and their unions have called Palantir an "unacceptable choice of partner" for the NHS.

2. It will be expensive for our local NHS organisations

Despite the government already paying for the contract local hospitals still face eye watering costs to adopt it locally. According to HSJ it will cost local trusts over £1 billion to implement. An NHS data analyst has said similar technology can be delivered at a fraction of the cost.

This is not value for money for an NHS already in financial crisis.

3. Unsuitable and poor quality software is being forced on NHS Trusts

Reports about using Palantir are clear that it is not fit for purpose.

An NHS Digital worker has said that they being forced to use a complicated system that makes the simplest tasks feel like "pulling teeth". NHS top executives have said that Palantir's tech will be worse than systems already in place.

This would be a backwards step for the NHS and make it harder to deliver good healthcare.

4. It is a leap towards the privatisation of our NHS

Palantir values profit over patient care. Palantir's founder has repeatedly expressed contempt for the NHS and the British public's affection for it. He has said that we should “rip the [NHS] from the ground.”

The NHS is not safe in Palantir's hands.

5. Palantir's oppressive and racist technology has no place in the NHS

Any association with Palantir's oppressive and racist technology threatens the work that Nottingham and Nottinghamshire’s hospitals have done to establish trust and integrity with patients and their local communities, and undermines the NHS' commitment to community engagement and anti-racist practice.