The Ministry of Defence has said that all data analysed using Palantir software remains under UK control, following concerns raised in Parliament over the risk of foreign government access, according to the department.
The issue was raised by Jon Trickett, Labour MP for Normanton and Hemsworth, who asked what steps were being taken to ensure data processed by Palantir is protected from access by overseas governments. Responding on behalf of the government, Defence Minister Luke Pollard said the MOD retains ownership and control of all data used within Palantir systems deployed for defence purposes.
“All data used and developed in Palantir’s software deployed across the Ministry of Defence will remain under the ownership of the MOD,” he said.
Pollard said extensive security and protection measures are in place to ensure defence information remains appropriately managed, adding that UK defence data processed through Palantir systems remains sovereign.
“UK Defence data used and developed in Palantir’s software remains sovereign and under the control of the MOD,” he said. The minister added that contractual safeguards and system-level controls are in place, with any change to data arrangements requiring explicit MOD consent.
“We have clear contractual controls in place to ensure this as well as control over the data system that Palantir software sits upon,” Pollard said. He also stated that defence data would remain accessible across the department and wider defence ecosystem where required.
“All data will remain sovereign, freely available across the MOD to be exploited wherever it is needed, including the broader supply chain and technical ecosystem,” he said.
The parliamentary exchange follows the Ministry of Defence’s decision in December to directly award Palantir a £240 million, three-year contract for data analytics supporting strategic, tactical and operational decision-making. The agreement, awarded without a competitive process, significantly expands Palantir’s role within UK defence compared with a previous contract signed in 2022. The company has also been named as a strategic partner under a wider technology agreement announced during President Donald Trump’s state visit to the UK in September.
Under that partnership, Palantir committed to investing £1.5 billion and creating 350 UK-based jobs, while the government said it would explore further defence and technology opportunities over the next five years.
£240 million for a three year data analytics software support for an organisation that doesn’t have any customers and doesn’t do any sales. Nor is this linked to the intelligence services. Why could they possibly require that level of data analytics for.
And these bozos want more tax payers cash to spunk on Peter Tiles wall.
Add the 300 million and 200 million mentioned earlier for South Cerney and QinetiQ Typhoon support.
So 700 million not available for people and kit.
This is where the money goes, juicy contracts for the MIC.
Yep,
The data people will be one or more steps ahead of the British government or mod on this. F35 is data collection flying network, how much uk data going back to Lockheed Martin? Relying on legal contracts for sovereignty is a soft answer. our systems also likely dependant on software updates from America.
Isn’t Palantir the crystal ball in The Lord of the Rings that allows Saruman to communicate with Sauron and is used for surveillance?
Yes, in this instance it allows Donald Trump and Peter Thiel to communicate 😀
It is. I can fiddle safely with them, but, they’re rare, and not all accounted for,the lost seeing stones…