Trump Taps Palantir to Create Database on Americans

The Trump administration has stepped up its collaboration with Palantir Technologies, giving the data analytics firm a central role in integrating personal information on U.S. citizens across multiple federal agencies, according to a report from the New York Times.

In March, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies to share data, aiming to “eliminate information silos and streamline data collection across all agencies to increase government efficiency and save hard-earned taxpayer dollars.”

Since Trump took office, Palantir has been awarded more than $113 million in federal contracts, including new agreements and extensions with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Pentagon, plus a $795 million contract with the Department of Defense for the Maven Smart system.

The company is also in talks with the Social Security Administration and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to implement its technology, according to six government officials and Palantir employees.

At the heart of this initiative is Foundry, Palantir's data analytics platform, which already operates in at least four agencies, including DHS and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Foundry enables the organization and analysis of large volumes of data, facilitating the merging of information such as bank account numbers, student debt, medical claims, and disability statuses.

However, this capability has raised red flags among Democratic lawmakers and labor unions, who fear the administration could use this data to surveil immigrants or persecute political critics.

The project is being driven by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk, with at least three former Palantir employees and two from companies funded by Peter Thiel, the company's co-founder.

Concerns about Palantir

However, Palantir's growing influence has raised concerns even among its own employees.

Thirteen former employees signed a letter in May urging the company to cut ties with the Trump Administration, while four current employees expressed concerns about the risk of data being breached or misused.

In the same vein, Linda Xia, a former Palantir engineer, said, “Data that is collected for one reason should not be repurposed for other uses. Combining all that data, even with the noblest of intentions, significantly increases the risk of misuse.”

Mario Trujillo, of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, warned that data misuse could generate "a crisis of trust" if citizens perceive that the information handed over to the government is not protected.

Palantir, for its part, described itself as a "data processor" and not a "data controller" operating under the agencies' supervision.

Palantir's work with the government is not new

Founded in 2003 by Alex Karp and Peter Thiel, the company has worked with the Department of Defense and the CDC, including a contract during the pandemic to manage vaccine distribution.

Recently, Palantir signed a $30 million contract with ICE in April of this year to develop a platform that tracks migrant movements in real time, according to DHS employees and officials.