Thomas Le Bonniec on Palantir for l’Humanité

Thomas Le Bonniec was interviewed by Pierric Marissal for L’Humanité about Palantir Technologies and its growing presence in Europe.

The journalist describes Palantir as a technofascist company that profits from the military and war industries and actively contributes to the development of a mass-surveillance society.

Thomas Le Bonniec also highlights Palantir’s strong presence in Europe, including within political circles. Perhaps surprisingly — or perhaps not — the company has found significant support among social-democratic parties.

In France, the Socialist Party appointed Julie Martinez, a former Palantir data protection officer, as spokesperson and later as a candidate in Clichy-la-Garenne. Asked about Palantir’s role in tracking migrants in the US, she dismissed it as “fake news,” while expressing pride in the company’s work with France’s intelligence agency, the DGSI. She was also endorsed by the French Communist Party (PCF).

In Switzerland, meanwhile, the government has stated that it does not want to work with Palantir, amid concerns that the company could act as a “Trojan horse” for US intelligence and mass data collection.

In the UK, the Labour government signed a £240 million, three-year contract with Palantir, while the German army has been using Palantir software for at least two years.

As Thomas Le Bonniec puts it:

“It is impossible to be antifascist while collaborating with Palantir. It is impossible to be pro-European and collaborate with Palantir. It is antinomic.”

Read the full article in L’Humanité: