Palantir Under Siege: Protesters rage over surveillance, ICE links in NYC office blockade

Palantir Technologies was confronted with furious protests on Thursday, as protesters were angry with the data analytics firm for its contracts with US immigration officials and the Israeli defense forces to reportedly build surveillance systems, as per a report.

Palantir Faces Protests Over ICE and Israeli Military Ties

The protests against Palantir were organised by the campaign group Planet Over Profit, with help from a coalition of local groups including Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE), Bay Resistance, and the immigration rights group Mijente, as reported by the Independent.

According to the Independent report, in New York City, six people were arrested for protesting at Palantir's Manhattan office, with a crowd of about 35 linked arms to bar access to the building, at one point briefly entering the lobby, while another 20 or so people gathered in support.

While, the demonstration of about 130 to 200 people in Palo Alto, California, was lively but peaceable, with protesters playing drums, an amplified electric guitar, a man dressed as the Statue of Liberty, ‘Stop AI’ activists warning about the coming machine apocalypse, and no arrests, according to the Independent report.

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Critics Say Palantir Profits From Family Separation

Marcus Romero of the ACCE told protesters in Palo Alto that, "This is a billion dollar company that is profiting from and enabling ICE that are separating our families," adding, "Today, Palantir and the Trump administration are targeting immigrants. Tomorrow, it'll be anyone who disagrees with the MAGA agenda," as quoted in the report.

Palantir Stock Soars Since Donald Trump Won the Election

The protests come as Palantir's stock has jumped by more than 250% since the 2024 election because the company has taken an increasingly central role in US president Donald Trump's push for "mass deportations", earning a reported $113 million via new and existing contracts, as reported by the Independent.

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Company’s History

The data analytics company was founded in 2003, backed by arch-conservative Peter Thiel and the CIA, the firm sells data-crunching services to companies, government agencies, intelligence services, and militaries, according to the report.

Palantir had first started working with ICE under former US president Barack Obama's administration, and is now reportedly helping the Trump administration to build a comprehensive surveillance system that gathers data from many government departments, and is allegedly working even with the Israel Defense Forces, as per the Independent report.

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However, the company has pushed back on the claim by saying, "To be very clear, Palantir is not building a master database, and Palantir is neither conducting nor enabling mass surveillance of American citizens," as quoted in the report.

While, the CEO Alex Karp told Axios during an interview in 2020 that, "Our product is used on occasion to kill people," adding, "If you're looking for a terrorist in the world now you're probably using our government product... I have asked myself, 'if I were younger at college, would I be protesting me?,'" as quoted in the Independent report.

FAQs

Why are people protesting Palantir?
Because of its contracts with ICE and alleged work with the Israeli military to develop surveillance systems, as per the Independent report.

Is Palantir really building a surveillance system?
Palantir denies building a master database, though it is reported to aggregate data from multiple government sources.