Tech-justice nonprofit Foxglobe has petitioned to stop American software firm Palantir from teaming up with the United Kingdom’s National Health Service, CNBC reported.
- The “No Palantir in Our NHS” campaign was launched on Thursday, backed by over 50 organizations involved in civil liberties, anti-racism, migrant justice, and public health.
- The campaign comes after Palantir teamed up with the NHS for the COVID-19 “Data Store” that seeks to analyze data and use it to monitor the spread of the virus.
- The partnership started in March 2020 and was quietly extended in December 2020 for another two years until December 2022 for $34 million.
- Foxglove Co-founder and lawyer Cori Crider cited Palantir’s track record and noted that the firm has generally been in contracts where people are “harmed, not healed.”
- Palantir has supported spy agencies, border forces, and militaries. Details of its contracts have not been disclosed to the public.
- Parliament Labour Party Member Clive Lewis said the firm built its business supporting drone and missile strikes, immigration raids and arrests, and not on medicine delivery and care.
- Lewis said Palantir has a “questionable agenda,” noting that the partnership with the NHS would have a negative impact on patient trust.
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