Palantir has no place in Scottish services
The Scottish Government has been challenged to commit to keeping Palantir Technologies out of the Scottish public sector.
In a parliamentary motion, following a question to the Deputy First Minister, Scottish Green MSP Iris Duane highlighted concerns that the firm has been awarded contracts worth almost £1 billion across the UK.
This includes NHS England, the Ministry of Defence and the Atomic Weapons Establishment.
The motion was inspired by a campaign by Progressive International who have asked parliamentarians across the world to commit to opposing any public contracts with Palantir.
Iris said:
“Palantir has absolutely no place in the Scottish public sector. A firm known for alleged human rights breaches, assisting US ICE with surveillance, carrying out violent immigration raids and deportations, and accused of targeting Palestinian civilians should not be given access to our data or systems.
“The privacy and dignity of our constituents must remain core to the actions of this government, allowing Palantir to access their data would directly contradict this aim. My constituents are correct to fear what Palantir sinking its fangs into our public sector could mean.
“Progressive International have done fantastic work bringing together the Palantir pledge to parliamentarians around the world. It's about time for the First Minister to sign this pledge and commits to keeping Scotland Palantir free.
“The Scottish Government must take a firm stance against this as the firm creeps further and further into the British state, raising serious concerns about data privacy and human rights.”
Tanya Singh, a coordinator for Progressive International, said:
“For technofascists like Peter Thiel and Alex Karp, human lives are mere data points – be it the innocent people of Gaza, on whom Palantir tests its technologies, or those whom the company helps target for ICE deportation.
“Palantir threatens our very right to life by consolidating military power through surveillance, coercion and the steady dismantling of our democracies. And that is why we must fight it – in Scotland and around the world."