On a Saturday morning in Escondido, despite the heat, over a dozen demonstrators gathered to demonstrate against Palantir Technologies, a software business, and the information it gathers for the federal government.
“They are using it to track people based on racial — based on any information they can get on them,” Escondido Neighbors for Solutions’ Gregg Oliver stated. According to Oliver, his neighborhood group supports progressive causes. Those causes at the demonstration on Saturday included government overreach and immigration.
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“For starters, I’m worried about how the current administration exploits the information at its disposal. Oliver added, “I’m also worried about the information that this tool can offer.”
Pete Thiel, a millionaire and former CEO of PayPal, launched Palantir Technologies in 2003 as a data analysis and technology company. According to the New York Times, Palantir has collected over $113 million from the federal government since President Trump took office this past January, despite the company’s longstanding partnership with the government.
Oliver expressed his worry regarding the utilization of that money.
“I believe they don’t release what the purposes are, I believe there’s no information about what they’re actually doing,” Oliver stated.
“Our software and services are used under direction from the organizations that license our products: these organizations define what can and cannot be done with their data; they control the Palantir accounts in which analysis is conducted,” the company states in a blog post on its website.
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Palantir was awarded a $30 million contract by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in April to track the movements of migrants in real time. Some demonstrators are concerned that ICE would utilize the information to find individuals as increasing reports of ICE raids and deportations circulate around San Diego County.
“This — what’s happening — is going to be repercussions for the next generation and the generations to come,” protester Ana Marie Velasco stated.
An executive order mandating data sharing among federal agencies was signed by President Trump in March. Regarding its use of the data it gathers, the White House has not made any public remarks.
Oliver stated that he and his group will keep working to spread the news about Palantir’s federal contracts until that matter is resolved.
Palantir was contacted by NBC 7 to provide details on the information it gives to ICE and the federal government in general. We have not received a response yet.
