Calls develop to ban Palantir in Australia after manifesto described by UK MP as ‘ramblings of a supervillain’

[ad_1] Simply weeks after it implied some cultures are inferior to others in a manifesto described by one UK MP because the “ramblings of a supervillain”, the US spy tech firm Palantir says it's simply “a software program firm” amid requires Australian authorities companies to ban any new contracts with the controversial firm.

In Australia, state and federal contracts with Palantir have reached almost $80m, and federal funding within the firm is reportedly greater than $160m.

Palantir, a Trump-aligned firm that was co-founded by billionaire Peter Thiel, develops software program for firms and authorities companies to analyse huge quantities of information.

Earlier this month, Palantir revealed a manifesto on X, arguing the advantages of American energy and implying some cultures are inferior to others.

“Some cultures have produced very important advances; others stay dysfunctional and regressive,” Palantir wrote within the put up.

Join the Breaking Information Australia e-mail The general public pronouncement, together with concern over using Palantir software program by ICE immigration enforcement in the US and the Israeli navy, has led to calls in Australia and the UK for governments to stop utilizing Palantir of their operations.

The Australian Greens senator David Shoebridge mentioned it could be “wise” to subject a blanket ban on all new contracts with Palantir, “pending a complete public audit of their current Authorities agreements”.

“Governments on this nation are dashing to signal contracts with Palantir regardless of a rising public backlash and with zero readability about what information they're giving to this multinational menace,” Shoebridge mentioned.

“We ought to be deeply involved when [Palantir] is embedded in establishments throughout Australia and vacuuming up ever extra delicate datasets.”

Requested about requires Palantir to be banned from conducting enterprise with the federal government in Australia in mild of the manifesto revealed on X and its affiliation with ICE, a spokesperson forthe firm mentioned it was proud its software program helps the Australian defence drive and different authorities companies of their work to maintain Australians protected and deal with monetary crime.

“That's all we're: a software program firm. We don’t accumulate or monetise information – we merely present the instruments to assist prospects organise and perceive their very own data,” the spokesperson mentioned. “How these instruments are used is set by the client, and constrained – legally, contractually and technically – by their directions.”

The spokesperson mentioned ICE had lengthy used Palantir’s software program, relationship again to 2011, beneath the Obama, Biden and Trump administrations.

Code of conduct ‘no concern’ for Palantir Palantir has recognized Australia as a profitable marketplace for its surveillance software program, saying in November: “Australia is a vital marketplace for Palantir, and finishing this evaluation opens new alternatives to ship our software program to authorities and business organisations throughout the nation, accelerating digital transformation and AI adoption.”

It made the remark after saying it had achieved “protected degree” within the Australian Alerts Directorate’s data safety registered assessors program, that means it had been measured to have excessive safety requirements.

Along with defence contracts value almost $30m, Palantir has collected tens of millions in authorities contracts in Australia up to now decade.

Federal companies together with the monetary intelligence company, Austrac, and the defence division have spent an estimated $60m in contracts with Palantir, in accordance with reporting by Crikey, whereas Australia’s sovereign wealth fund, the Future Fund, has $100m value of shares in Palantir.

The corporate has additionally gained state contracts. Final month the company accountable for Victoria’s jail system was recruiting for an intelligence analyst that has “expertise in using … data administration techniques, ideally Palantir”.

Corrections Victoria revealed its present contract – which isn't as a result of expire till 2028 – following questions from the Guardian. It has an “estimate” worth of $9m, taking the whole spent on Palantir by the state’s jail system to almost $20m since 2012.

The Victorian justice division refused to reply the Guardian’s questions, however in a March 2020 submission to a federal parliamentary inquiry it revealed that the system – Palantir Centurion constructed on Foundry – is an analytical intelligence repository “that helps the wants of intelligence practitioners to seize, management and analyse multisource information in a safe surroundings”.

A 2013 Herald Solar information article reported that the system incorporates information on inmates that's “robotically processed to indicate connections and flag warning indicators” and reveals how inmates might need hyperlinks with one another. It was additionally reported to indicate the move of cash or telephone contact between prisoners.

Communications firm Cmax Advisory had been recruited by Palantir to foyer on its behalf in Canberra in July final 12 months, however that relationship ended final week – lower than a 12 months into the association – with the lobbyist register stating that Cmax now not represented Palantir as of 23 April.

A spokesperson for Cmax Advisory mentioned the corporate was “engaged for brief time period challenge help” which ended on the finish of 2025. Palantir didn't instantly reply to questions on this contract.

Digital Rights Watch final 12 months raised questions with the finance minister, Katy Gallagher, concerning the federal authorities’s contracts with Palantir, and requested how the federal government was guaranteeing transparency and accountability from the corporate. The finance division’s performing assistant secretary, Jessica Wilson, replied saying that Palantir was topic to the commonwealth provider code of conduct, which got here into impact in July 2024.

Wilson mentioned the code requires suppliers to handle dangers regarding labour, human rights and cybersecurity. The code additionally requires suppliers to keep away from bringing the federal authorities into disrepute.

Freedom of knowledge requests from the Guardian to Austrac and the defence division didn't reveal documentation of Palantir having been assessed towards the brand new code since July 2024.

A single e-mail from the defence division to Palantir in July 2024 drew Palantir’s consideration to the code, with an unnamed Palantir worker replying that the code clauses “trigger no concern for Palantir”.

A spokesperson for Austrac mentioned the company opinions all main contracts towards the code.

A spokesperson for the defence division mentioned suppliers should adhere to the expectations outlined within the code, however didn't instantly reply to a query on whether or not Palantir had been assessed towards the code.