Calls are increasing in Australia to ban Palantir following a controversial manifesto that suggested some cultures are inferior. The US tech company, which has received nearly $80 million in contracts from Australia, defends itself as merely a software provider.
Key points
Palantir's manifesto implied cultural inferiority
Calls to ban Palantir in Australia are increasing
Australian contracts with Palantir total nearly $80 million
Federal investment in Palantir exceeds $160 million
Palantir was co-founded by Peter Thiel
Mentioned in this story
PalantirPeter Thiel
Just weeks after it implied some cultures are inferior to others in a manifesto described by one UK MP as the “ramblings of a supervillain”, the US spy tech company Palantir says it is just “a software company” amid calls for Australian government agencies to ban any new contracts with the controversial company.
In Australia, state and federal contracts with Palantir have reached nearly $80m, and federal investment in the company is reportedly more than $160m.
Palantir, a Trump-aligned company that was co-founded by billionaire Peter Thiel, develops software for companies and government agencies to analyse vast amounts of data.
Earlier this month, Palantir published a manifesto on X, arguing the benefits of American power and implying some cultures are inferior to others.
“Some cultures have produced vital advances; others remain dysfunctional and regressive,” Palantir wrote in the post.
The public pronouncement, along with concern over the use of Palantir software by ICE immigration enforcement in the United States and the Israeli military, has led to calls in Australia and the UK for governments to cease using Palantir in their operations.
The Australian Greens senator David Shoebridge said it would be “sensible” to issue a blanket ban on all new contracts with Palantir, “pending a comprehensive public audit of their existing government agreements”.
“Governments in this country are rushing to sign contracts with Palantir despite a growing public backlash and with zero clarity about what data they are giving to this multinational threat,” Shoebridge said.
“We should be deeply concerned when [Palantir] is embedded in institutions across Australia and vacuuming up ever more sensitive datasets.”
Asked about calls for Palantir to be banned from conducting business with the government in Australia in light of the manifesto published on X and its association with ICE, a spokesperson for the company said it was proud its software supports the Australian defence force and other government agencies in their work to keep Australians safe and tackle financial crime.
Q&A
What did Palantir's manifesto say that caused controversy?
Palantir's manifesto suggested that some cultures are inferior to others, which led to significant backlash.
How much has the Australian government invested in Palantir?
The Australian government has invested over $160 million in Palantir, with contracts totaling nearly $80 million.
Why are Australian officials calling for a ban on Palantir?
Officials are calling for a ban due to concerns over the company's controversial statements and its implications regarding cultural superiority.
Who co-founded Palantir and what is his political alignment?
Palantir was co-founded by billionaire Peter Thiel, who is known for his alignment with Donald Trump.
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“That is all we are: a software company. We don’t collect or monetise data – we simply provide the tools to help customers organise and understand their own information,” the spokesperson said. “How those tools are used is determined by the customer, and constrained – legally, contractually and technically – by their instructions.”
The spokesperson said ICE had long used Palantir’s software, dating back to 2011, under the Obama, Biden and Trump administrations.
Code of conduct ‘no concern’ for Palantir
Palantir has identified Australia as a lucrative market for its surveillance software, saying in November: “Australia is an important market for Palantir, and completing this assessment opens new opportunities to deliver our software to government and commercial organisations across the country, accelerating digital transformation and AI adoption.”
It made the comment after announcing it had achieved “protected level” in the Australian Signals Directorate’s information security registered assessors program, meaning it had been measured to have high security standards.
In addition to defence contracts worth nearly $30m, Palantir has collected millions in government contracts in Australia in the past decade.
The company has also won state contracts. Last month the agency responsible for Victoria’s prison system was recruiting for an intelligence analyst that has “experience in the use of … information management systems, preferably Palantir”.
Corrections Victoria published its current contract – which is not due to expire until 2028 – after questions from the Guardian. It has an “estimate” value of $9m, taking the total spent on Palantir by the state’s prison system to nearly $20m since 2012.
The Victorian justice department refused to answer the Guardian’s questions, but in a March 2020 submission to a federal parliamentary inquiry it revealed that the system – Palantir Centurion built on Foundry – is an analytical intelligence repository “that supports the needs of intelligence practitioners to capture, control and analyse multisource data in a secure environment”.
A 2013 Herald Sun news article reported that the system incorporates data on inmates that is “automatically processed to show connections and flag warning signs” and shows how inmates might have links with each other. It was also reported to show the flow of money or phone contact between prisoners.
Communications company Cmax Advisory had been recruited by Palantir to lobby on its behalf in Canberra in July last year, but that relationship ended last week – less than a year into the arrangement – with the lobbyist register stating that Cmax no longer represented Palantir as of 23 April.
A spokesperson for Cmax Advisory said the company was “engaged for short-term project support” that ended at the end of 2025. Palantir did not directly respond to questions about this contract.
Digital Rights Watch last year raised questions with the finance minister, Katy Gallagher, about the federal government’s contracts with Palantir and asked how the government was ensuring transparency and accountability from the company. The finance department’s acting assistant secretary, Jessica Wilson, replied, saying that Palantir was subject to the commonwealth supplier code of conduct, which came into effect in July 2024.
Wilson said the code requires suppliers to manage risks relating to labour, human rights and cybersecurity. The code also requires suppliers to avoid bringing the federal government into disrepute.
Freedom of information requests from the Guardian to Austrac and the defence department did not reveal documentation of Palantir having been assessed against the new code since July 2024.
A single email from the defence department to Palantir in July 2024 drew Palantir’s attention to the code, with an unnamed Palantir employee replying that the code clauses “cause no concern for Palantir”.
A spokesperson for Austrac said the agency reviews all major contracts against the code.
A spokesperson for the defence department said suppliers must adhere to the expectations outlined in the code but did not directly respond to a question on whether Palantir had been assessed against the code.
