Why Palantir is America's Most Dangerous Corporation
The most dangerous corporation in America is one you may not have heard of.
It’s called Palantir Technologies, a Silicon Valley tech company that may put your most basic freedoms at risk.
Palantir gets its name from a device used in The Lord of the Rings. If this weren’t such a serious subject, I’d spend the whole video making funny Lord of the Rings references…
BOB [AS GANDALF]: You shall not pass!
… but I won’t do that because there’s nothing funny about the real dangers of Palantir.
Think about this — What do AI, the US Military, domestic surveillance and the tech broligarchy all have in common?
Palantir — co-founded by far-right billionaire Peter Thiel and its current CEO Alex Karp.
TRUMP: We buy a lot of things from Palantir
In JRR Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, a “palantir” is a seeing stone — something like a crystal ball — that can be used to spy on people and distort the truth. During the War of the Ring, a palantir falls under the control of the evil Sauron, who uses it to manipulate and deceive.
Palantir Technologies bears a striking similarity.
It sells AI-based data platforms that let their clients, including governments, militaries, and law enforcement agencies, quickly process and analyze massive amounts of your personal data.
Whether it’s social media profiles, bank account records, tax history, medical history, or driving records, the tools that Palantir sells are used to help clients identify and monitor individuals — like you.
Why should this matter to you? Well, billions of your tax dollars are going to Palantir, and what Palantir is working on could be used against you.
Early in his current term, Trump signed an executive order requiring government agencies to consolidate all of their information about you into one giant database — something that has never been done before. To help process this massive amount of information, Trump chose Palantir.
Trump claims this is about “efficiency.” But as one Silicon Valley investor described it, Palantir is “building the infrastructure of the police state.”
Data privacy experts warn that when government data is pooled together, it can be used by a tyrant to intimidate or silence opposition. The possibilities for abuse are huge. One of Palantir’s major projects is a new immigrant surveillance system for ICE’s deportations.
We’ve already seen Trump target people or organizations he considers enemies. Imagine if he could punish or deny services to individual Americans based on their political affiliation, whether they’ve attended a protest, or even posted an unflattering picture of him online.
Palantir could be giving Trump the power to do just this.
Palantir co-founder and Trump ally Peter Thiel has made no secret of his disdain for democracy, writing “I no longer believe that freedom and democracy are compatible.”
But when he speaks of “freedom,” he isn’t thinking about you. To him, “freedom” means that he and his fellow tech oligarchs get to do what they want, without consequences, while the rest of us live in an authoritarian police state.
It’s a match made in Mordor — Trump gets the infrastructure to go after his enemies. Thiel gets to end American democracy.
And if Thiel’s anti-democratic sentiments weren’t terrifying enough, it also appears he isn’t sure if humans are all that great either.
CLIP: Ross questions Thiel. “You would prefer the human race to endure? You’re hesitating. This is a long hesitation.”
The danger of Palantir’s AI-powered super database on all Americans is amplified by the vast wealth and power of those associated with it, and their apparent disdain for democratic institutions.
To protect democracy and our individual freedoms, we need to elect leaders who will defend the public from corporations like Palantir — not partner with them.
Tolkien’s palantir fell under the control of Sauron. Thiel’s Palantir is falling under the control of Trump.
How this story ends is up to all of us. Please, help spread the word by sharing this video.
