Shodo16h ago
Aline Blankertz

Apparently this requires restating:
We should not want a European Palantir.
We should not want an open-source Palantir.
We should not want a non-commercial Palantir.

If it is supposed to do what Palantir does, we should not want it.

And I don't care to what extent Palantir's products are shaped by political or profit motives. We know enough to reject its logic altogether.

Sep 17, 2025 at 6:48amWeb
Show threadAline BlankertzSep 17, 2025

If you follow the discourse, you can already see on the horizon a group of fascist nerds providing the open-source non-profit version of Palantir, with data centres on European soil, fostering "digital sovereignty" and making the work of European police, Frontex and so on more "effective".

Good luck arguing with that if your main criticism with Palantir is the US state or Thiel's person.

Show threadDaniel SchildtSep 17, 2025
@alineblankertz Sadly there are already many EU-based companies doing similar things as that U.S. based company. One of the biggest in Europe is Thales:
https://lite.surveillancewatch.io/entities/thales-group
Thales Group | Surveillance Watch

Show threadIrenes (many)Sep 17, 2025
@alineblankertz well said.
Show thread"Musty Bits" McGeeSep 26, 2025
@alineblankertz I just can't square the circle of military hegemony. I don't want a copy of palantir or the conditions of the mil-indust complex but.. I lack vision maybe?
Show threadNiloufar VadiatiSep 17, 2025
@alineblankertz Aline could you point the main harmful aspect of it? or could you please share a good source to read about it? thank you!
Show threadHansSep 17, 2025

@NiloufarVadiati @alineblankertz
Links in German:

https://www.zdfheute.de/video/zdfheute-live/palantir-software-polizei-risiken-peter-thiel-video-100.html

https://blog.campact.de/2025/07/warum-ist-palantir-so-gefaehrlich/

https://www.nachdenkseiten.de/?p=136921&pdf=136921

Links in english:

https://xpert.digital/en/palantir-39-s-success-and-weakness/

https://www.ituc-csi.org/corporate-underminers-of-democracy-2025

https://www.npr.org/2025/05/01/nx-s1-5372776/palantir-tech-contracts-trump

https://erikabarker.ai/data-analysis/the-palantir-paradox-democracys-most-dangerous-servant/

Palantir: So gefährlich ist die Software von Peter Thiel

Auch Baden-Württembergs Polizei will Palantir-Software nutzen. ZDFheute live zur Macht von Peter Thiel und warum Datenschützer Palantir kritisieren

ZDFheute
Show threadTzafrirDec 16

@Hans @NiloufarVadiati @alineblankertz

I'm trying to understand what you object specifically.

A specific company that is in bed with problematic president is of course problematic.

But is the problem the whole idea of military industrial complex? If so, what are the alternatives? Those could be of two flavors (or combinations of):

* The threats we face are not as large, we could use a smaller budget.
* We don't need companies in that field. But if not companies: what?

Show threadJürgen HubertSep 17, 2025

@alineblankertz

I do care about their political motives, for these make a horrible thing even worse.

Show threadZuri (he/him) ❌️👑 🕐 CETSep 17, 2025
@alineblankertz
Show threadKrzysztof SakrejdaSep 17, 2025
@alineblankertz I would even argue against a federated Palantir
Show threadRandom Damage 🌻Sep 17, 2025
@alineblankertz it's like they don't even care if we can tell what they're doing
Show threadDexterSep 26, 2025
@RandomDamage @alineblankertz Why should they? They've successfully broken class solidarity in the US.
Show threadHoward CohenSep 17, 2025
@alineblankertz We should not make rings of power like Palantir would be. They tend to turn their users into wraiths.
Show threadSkaveRat 🐀 Sep 17, 2025
@alineblankertz finally. FOSS Norment Nexus
Show threadRyanParsleySep 17, 2025
@alineblankertz hits like the darkest Dr Seuss reboot.
Show threadPaweł Ausir DembowskiSep 17, 2025
@alineblankertz
Show threadDr Andrew A. Adams #FBPE 🔶Sep 18, 2025
@alineblankertz @rene_mobile
💯
Show thread@iveyline1d ago
@alineblankertz Agreed. An evil company.
Show threadHeliograph1d ago
@alineblankertz incredibly this post is soon already a year old but just as timely as it was back then 😬 @gerrymcgovern
Show threadgnomeoffender1d ago
@alineblankertz I don't know what that means but today's Ontario Budget said it would move in the direction of commercializing research. That would be like funding only science that has a monetary outcome. That would mean that unis exist only under the aegis of corporations which would take their findings for their own profits.