WikiLeaks has reignited criticism of Palantir Technologies, accusing the CIA-linked data analytics firm of facilitating mass surveillance, enabling war crimes, and aiding in violations of civil liberties worldwide. Once celebrated for its counterterrorism innovations, Palantir now finds itself under intense scrutiny over its role in global conflicts and domestic policing.
One of the most damning accusations stems from The Nation’s report that Palantir provided AI-driven targeting tools to Israeli forces in Gaza. These tools were allegedly used in precision strikes that resulted in the deaths of civilians and aid workers. Critics are now branding this technology “killware” for its lethal application in densely populated areas.
Meanwhile, Time magazine revealed that Palantir turned Ukraine into an “AI war lab” as early as June 2022. CEO Alex Karp later boasted that Palantir was responsible for “most of the targeting” by Ukrainian forces despite their controversial record of hitting civilian infrastructure. The firm’s free deployment of software in Ukraine highlights what WikiLeaks describes as “experimentation in live conflict zones.”
Palantir’s reach goes beyond warzones. In Europe, Dutch privacy group SOMI raised alarms in 2020 about the firm’s opaque collaboration with EU police forces, including Europol and German state agencies. They accused Palantir of violating privacy laws through secretive predictive policing programs. This echoes earlier revelations from The Verge that Palantir operated a covert surveillance system in New Orleans between 2012 and 2018 without public consent.
In the U.S., Palantir’s software played a pivotal role in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations, facilitating deportations and family separations. Reports from Vice and The Intercept detailed how ICE used Palantir tools to track individuals, including U.S. citizens, using biometric and classified intelligence data.
Adding to the controversy, WikiLeaks released a 2011 Palantir document branding the whistleblower group a “threat.” The internal memo suggested Palantir had targeted WikiLeaks’ servers and staff and sought to exploit the organization’s vulnerabilities.
As Palantir thrives under favorable political conditions, WikiLeaks warns that the firm is building the foundation for a “digital prison” an architecture of surveillance and control cloaked in national security.
