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Isn't this what Palantir does? I just assumed their business model was to take any morally objectionable tech contract?
by libraryatnight 6y ago
Isn't this what Palantir does? I just assumed their business model was to take any morally objectionable tech contract?
- zepto 6y agoHelping to deport illegal immigrants isn’t morally objectionable unless you believe that border control itself is morally objectionable. Even if it ultimately becomes accepted as morally right, it certainly does not reflect the current views of all but a tiny minority of US citizens. Vice is just profiting from creating moral panic here.
- danpalmer 6y agoMore specifically, they build data analysis and CRUD apps on top of a ton of ETL for large clients. They skew towards government contracts, and probably due to their founder have a different view on what's morally acceptable. I guess the reason why they're involved in this is that the mechanics of deporting someone is a non-trivial data workflow through a bunch of crappy legacy systems, and given they've already got the ETL set up to get the data out, they can create a quick CRUD interface, or use data analysis to find suitable targets. That, plus the fact the company culturally agrees with the deportations, make it a reasonable business for them. In many ways it's the same role as IBM played in the holocaust. These abhorrent operations are huge logistical undertakings, and that requires investment in tech that governments often aren't able to achieve. Culture comes from the top, I don't think anyone at Palantir can be surprised that this is the result when Thiel is their leader.