linuslinus  Feb 24
Graham Cluley

The Swiss government has ended its contract with American analytics company Palantir, after federal agencies in the country rejected Palantir at least nine times over seven years. The reason? Security concerns that should make other countries think carefully:

- Risk of US intelligence gaining access to sensitive data
- Potential loss of national sovereignty
- Dependence upon foreign specialists in crisis situations

Swiss authorities won't touch their software with a bargepole.

1/2

Feb 13 at 1:53pmWeb
Show threadGraham CluleyFeb 13

Meanwhile, the UK has signed contracts worth over £800 million with Palantir for NHS and Ministry of Defence systems. British MPs are now asking awkward questions about why their due diligence has reached such a different conclusion.

Switzerland chose sovereignty over convenience. They chose not to risk using Palantir.

Other countries should be asking themselves: if Switzerland deemed these risks unacceptable, what are we missing?

What do you think?

2/2

Show threadParade du Grotesque 💀Feb 13

@gcluley

Switzerland is showing the way, while making some very reasonable points.

I suspect the rest of Europe will follow. The UK, I am not so sure.

Show threadNicole ParsonsFeb 13

@ParadeGrotesque @gcluley

Like the USA, politics in the UK are overly entwined with The Moneyed, white supremacy, and fossil fuel funded fascists.

The wealthy are determined to fry both democracy itself, along with the planet.

https://www.desmog.com/2025/01/21/mapped-donald-trump-transatlantic-anti-green-network/

Show threadKevinOnEarthFeb 15
@Npars01 @ParadeGrotesque @gcluley
...and they have their balls in a Zionist vice.
Show threadM.Feb 16

@Npars01 @ParadeGrotesque @gcluley

The existence of #billionares is anti-democratic.

Show threadIngrid_DemokratinAusOLFeb 14

@ParadeGrotesque @gcluley

I Hope so.

Show threadTais HansenFeb 14
@ParadeGrotesque @gcluley I hope you're right but Denmark’s security state is structurally dependent on Palantir as I understand it.
Show threadpLFeb 13
@gcluley don't you just hate it when your bribe cheque bounces
Show threadAgFeb 13
@gcluley Palantir? Steer well clear.
Show threadSteve G0LFPFeb 13
@gcluley
Show threadquangobaudFeb 14

@g0lfp @gcluley

The hand above the table should also be passing money. The contracts/agreements are not secrets.

Show threadSteve G0LFPFeb 14
@miguelpergamon @gcluley
Ask Red Ed about his recent China trip. See how you get on.
The handshake is public...
Show threadquangobaudFeb 14

@g0lfp @gcluley

Thank you. That was pointless.

My point remains, except I'd clarify that the UK is deliberately paying Palantir to abuse our data in the alleged hope that "the UK" can share any profits Palantir makes from using it; rather than Palantir having to pay for access.

Show threadIan HFeb 13
@gcluley In the words of The Sisters of Mercy, "It's a small world, and it smells funny".
Show threadGeoffaireyFeb 13
@gcluley While you should never rely on another entity's decision, if other companies/countries are publicly rejecting vendors then it should raise red flags
Show threadrailmeatFeb 13

@gcluley

The NHS using Palantir is scary. At least it would scare me if I lived in the UK.

Show threadgypsyveganFeb 13

@gcluley Carole Cadwalladr has been ringing this alarm for years, hopefully more will take up the task

https://substack.com/@carolecadwalla/p-183932001

Peter Thiel's New Model Army

The Palantirisation of the UK military is a national security disaster

Show threadOoze 𓁟Feb 14
@gypsyvegan @gcluley "If our national security rests on US technology, we have no national security." This applies just as much for us here in Australia.
Show threadJordan BiserkovFeb 14
@Ooze @gypsyvegan @gcluley
Greetings stranger.
Did you know Australia has been a US vassal for the past half century?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1975_Australian_constitutional_crisis
1975 Australian constitutional crisis - Wikipedia

Show threadH4Heights 🇪🇺🇵🇸🇺🇦🇨🇦Feb 14
@gypsyvegan @gcluley
See, it is the advent of this sort of desperately poor judgement that leads folk to say Starmer is a crap PM. I’m not sure he has any fire in his belly. He seems to do as he’s told by which ever swivel-eyed autocrat he thinks he trusts. McSweeney and Steeting come to mind for some reason.
Show threadKevinOnEarthFeb 15
@H4Heights @gypsyvegan @gcluley
It's actually not "poor judgement". He knows exactly what he's doing & the personal advantages he will get from it.
Starmer is a crook through & through, & the electorate are his vehicle. EsPECially the blind allegiance of the #Labour electorate.
Show threadBernaBFeb 14
@gcluley I think, you’re right.
Show threadCoated Ambassadors Everywhere!Feb 14
@gcluley „Don‘t think twice, it’s all-right!”
Show threadSteve HoldenFeb 14
@gcluley I think we have a government and Civil Service oblivious to the risks.
Show threadKevinOnEarthFeb 15
@holdenweb @gcluley
Not oblivious at all. The risks are for the general public. The UK govt will see only benefits in all that personal data! Remember, it's not Palantir that are paying for the data, it's the UK TAXPAYER via the govt that is PAYING PALANTIR to take it from them!!!
Show threadBilly WattFeb 14
@gcluley doesn't include Scotland who have a separate NHS and have so far refused to have anything to do with Palantir
Show threadferricoxideFeb 13

@gcluley

- Risk of US intelligence gaining access to sensitive dataI don't know that Theil particularly cares about America, at least not its government. He's a neo-fuedalist. His fuckery is more towards advancing those aspirations than specifically providing benefit to the US government. Meaning, I think the bigger risk is less the US IC, specifically, than that Theil would happily sell one country's information to another "for the right price" if it advanced his overarching neo-feudalist goals.

...which is to say, if China or India were to offer him a neo-feudalist paradise within their borders in exchange for any given country's information — even the US's — he'd sell the target countries out in a heartbeat.

Show threadKevinOnEarthFeb 15
@ferricoxide @gcluley
True but Palantir is still subject to the US #CloudAct so he wouldn't even have any choice in the matter if the US govt claim the data.
Show threadPonygirlFeb 13
@gcluley Bravo!! 👏
Show threadSteve DoweFeb 13
@gcluley my local NHS "Trust" has signed one of those contracts with Palatir. I'm genuinely at a loss as to what healthcare option there is, if I don't want my subject data with them.
Show threadKatjaFeb 14
@sdowe @gcluley some trusts have signed and assume paid but not using the software yet 🤞🏾💪🏽
Show threadBeldarakFeb 13

@gcluley

Not wanting to associate with literal nazis should be in the list of reasons

Show threadHugs4friends ♾🇺🇦 🇵🇸😷Feb 14
@gcluley So, that's why Trumpy is grumpy with Switzerland? Dissing his bosses.
Show threadExtraFlauschigFeb 14
@gcluley there never was a contract. They never signed a contract with Palantir, so there’s nothing to end.
Show threadSam VinesFeb 14
@gcluley I wish the British government would take heed here!
Show threadXavier «X» Santolaria  Feb 14
@gcluley Thanks - It was 2 months ago, and for some reason I had missed it 😅
Show threadDrWhositFeb 14
@gcluley Can we please also do this in Australia.....
Show threadsalix sericea (@Ripple13216)Feb 14
@gcluley And for some customers: Dependence on foreign specialists in everyday operations. In a DW documentary about Palantir, a German police official points to an empty office and proudly explains that the Palantir workers commute from several countries, flying in on Mondays, heading home Fridays.
Show threadKim Spence-Jones 🇬🇧😷Feb 14
@gcluley
But Luke Pollard, Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry (degree in Politics from Exeter, and clearly an expert on cyber-security) assures us there is no possible problem with giving all the UK’s MoD data to Palantir…
Show threadKevinOnEarthFeb 15
@KimSJ @gcluley
What, no links to the detail of the contract, the "clear contractual controls" & the source code of the software concerned?
Just Luke's own assurance?
Does he get a commission for this?
ALL US Tech companies are subject to the #CloudAct, i.e. the US govt can commandeer all & any data collected by any US company anywhere in the world. But Starmer knows this, so his payback must be considerable!!
Show threadÖlbaumFeb 14
@gcluley “Analytics company.” That’s the biggest euphemism of the year (so far.) 😂
Show thread@iveylineFeb 15
@gcluley Very sensible. Especially as Thiel is involved in Palantir A warning sign to everyone!
Show threadKevinOnEarthFeb 15
@gcluley
Switzerland actually has some decent IT systems & services & likely do not need Palantir at all (and ultimately, NO-one does!). Maybe the UK doesn't have the alternative? 🤷