Palantir offers are a risk to our knowledge rights as UK residents | Knowledge safety

For 100 years, the UK authorities has led us by existential threats, together with two world wars. However as a substitute of resisting the most recent risk to democratic accountability, it has welcomed it with open arms: Palantir Applied sciences (NHS take care of AI agency Palantir known as into query after officers’ issues revealed, 12 February).

This polarising US surveillance big gives data-fusion and AI platforms utilized by by the US for immigration enforcement and by Israel within the Gaza battle. Its software program amplifies state energy by militarised analytics and opaque algorithms.

The present authorities hasn’t simply surrendered residents’ knowledge rights to Palantir – it has paid for the privilege. Palantir is an influence undertaking rooted in knowledge dominance, treating delicate public info not as sacrosanct, however as gas for programs designed to pay attention management.

How did this occur? Disclosures from the Jeffrey Epstein information forged gentle on Palantir’s growth inside an more and more Americanised and rotten British institution. Epstein affiliate Peter Thiel co-founded Palantir, whereas Epstein’s pal, Peter Mandelson, launched the corporate to Keir Starmer in Washington. This opened the door for a £330m NHS contract, and likewise a £240m Ministry of Defence deal that was awarded with out aggressive tender.

Let the UK stand as a warning of what occurs when a “particular relationship” curdles into dependency – buying and selling sovereignty for code designed to regulate.Stephen SaundersRodmell, East Sussex

The federal government is sufficiently anxious about Trump’s potential to show off US-owned cost programs, and the disruption this could trigger, to start planning an alternate (UK financial institution bosses plan to arrange Visa and Mastercard various amid Trump fears, 16 February). Why then is the federal government not equally involved in regards to the UK’s heavy dependence on tech giants which have shut ties to the US administration?Jan SavageLondon

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