Palantir AI systems enable surveillance and military targeting in US and Gaza
Palantir operates data integration platforms used by US and Israeli military and government agencies for surveillance and targeting operations, including systems for migrant tracking and military targeting in Gaza. The company, founded by Peter Thiel, reportedly works with classified government contracts and Israeli defense systems.
What happened
Palantir, founded by Peter Thiel in 2003, provides data analysis platforms Gotham for government agencies and Foundry for commercial clients that collect and integrate data from any system to produce actionable intelligence.
Palantir reportedly supports Israeli military operations, including the 'Lavender' AI model used to identify missile launch sites in Gaza, and provides consulting to Israel's Ministry of Defense.
Reported impact
The sources describe Palantir's technology as transforming data and artificial intelligence into surveillance and targeting tools used by governments and militaries worldwide, reaching beyond individual privacy boundaries.
According to the sources, Palantir has worked on US government contracts to develop migrant tracking systems and build databases to accelerate deportation processes.
Index analysis
Edward Snowden allegedly accused Palantir in 2017 of cooperating with XKEYSCORE to illegally analyze data collected by the CIA, according to reporting at the time.
The sources note that Jeffrey Epstein invested over $40 million in one of Thiel's investment vehicles, which subsequently invested in Palantir.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.