4 ms·

It's a software company, it sells software. You can literally go read the docs. It doesn't magically bypass the law anymore than Microsoft Sharepoint does. htt

It's a software company, it sells software. You can literally go read the docs. It doesn't magically bypass the law anymore than Microsoft Sharepoint does. https://www.palantir.com/docs/foundry https://www.palantir.com/docs/foundry

malfist 8mo ago
Do you expect palantir's public documentation to explain how they operate as a spy agency?
- crimsoneer 8mo ago
  [flagged]
  - coliveira 8mo ago
    They don't need a backdoor, the whole company is a backdoor receiving sensitive information from governments 24x7.
    - jonnybgood 8mo ago
      So Palantir receives info from governments only to… hand it back to them? It seems like most people really don’t know what Palantir actually does and are just speculating.
      - coliveira 8mo ago
        No, we know very well how they operate. They're paid to get all kinds of sensitive information from governments and other institutions around the world and store it in their very "secure" data centers. Once there, the US government can easily get any of that information for "national security reasons", because how would they say otherwise, and the Israeli government can do the same as well without even announcing anything, because how would the US government ever say "no" to them... It's all just obvious at this point.
  - toofy 8mo ago
    > has anybody found any evidence..or are we just speculating? that’s what the article is discussing? the journalists found evidence. i’m confused what you’re confused about. this whole entire comment section is birthed from the evidence someone found.
    - crimsoneer 8mo ago
      Sorry, where? Maybe I've missed something, but the article is just about their health business growing in New York rather than an illegal data backdoors?
      - onetimeusename 8mo ago
        There's no evidence it's just speculation. Microsoft has a contract with the same exact orgs. So does AWS. Anyone with a little bit of common sense would know that. Palantir's CEO and Peter Thiel are not particularly well liked so presumably people are speculating without any evidence at all. Could there be an issue? Yes, absolutely but not just with Palantir but let's not let facts get in the way of a narrative. In any event I think the question of data being shared with the government could be a problem even if the software was made in house and then open sourced by the hospital (which is itself ridiculous to expect but this is HN) because the hospital themselves could provide the data to the government. At this point someone might say "no that won't happen because hospitals are nice and Palantir is evil" or "there are laws" but I am not sure why Palantir would be exempt unless anyone has proof or anything besides a vibes based argument but then we're back to square one.
      - toofy 8mo ago
        was someone arguing there are illegal backdoors?
    - remarkEon 8mo ago
      Did you read the article? There's no evidence cited in it at all. This comment thread made me think "wow, Palantir must be selling PHI to the mob" or something, and The Intercept has the receipts, but the article simply states that Palantir has a contract to run medicaid billing. It then goes on to say that Palantir also works with other government agencies like ICE (bad), and the Israelis (worse than ICE), and the UK (they've crossed the line now!) It's entirely left up to the reader to fill in the blanks that whatever is going on with this contract is nefarious and bad. The Intercept used to do good work, but this article is complete trash. At least the author was self aware enough to reference the 2016 reporting.
oscaracso 8mo ago
Your link and description of it as a software company are irrelevant to the discussion, which concerns their retention and use of personal data. I welcome anyone to give their disclosure a critical reading. (They promise to follow the law- whew!) https://www.palantir.com/privacy-and-security/ https://www.palantir.com/privacy-and-security/
- jonnybgood 8mo ago
  You mean the logging of their web traffic and communications with them like every corporate website does? Can you specify?

malfist 8mo ago

Do you expect palantir's public documentation to explain how they operate as a spy agency?

crimsoneer 8mo ago
[flagged]
- coliveira 8mo ago
  They don't need a backdoor, the whole company is a backdoor receiving sensitive information from governments 24x7.
  - jonnybgood 8mo ago
    So Palantir receives info from governments only to… hand it back to them? It seems like most people really don’t know what Palantir actually does and are just speculating.
    - coliveira 8mo ago
      No, we know very well how they operate. They're paid to get all kinds of sensitive information from governments and other institutions around the world and store it in their very "secure" data centers. Once there, the US government can easily get any of that information for "national security reasons", because how would they say otherwise, and the Israeli government can do the same as well without even announcing anything, because how would the US government ever say "no" to them... It's all just obvious at this point.
- toofy 8mo ago
  > has anybody found any evidence..or are we just speculating? that’s what the article is discussing? the journalists found evidence. i’m confused what you’re confused about. this whole entire comment section is birthed from the evidence someone found.
  - crimsoneer 8mo ago
    Sorry, where? Maybe I've missed something, but the article is just about their health business growing in New York rather than an illegal data backdoors?
    - onetimeusename 8mo ago
      There's no evidence it's just speculation. Microsoft has a contract with the same exact orgs. So does AWS. Anyone with a little bit of common sense would know that. Palantir's CEO and Peter Thiel are not particularly well liked so presumably people are speculating without any evidence at all. Could there be an issue? Yes, absolutely but not just with Palantir but let's not let facts get in the way of a narrative. In any event I think the question of data being shared with the government could be a problem even if the software was made in house and then open sourced by the hospital (which is itself ridiculous to expect but this is HN) because the hospital themselves could provide the data to the government. At this point someone might say "no that won't happen because hospitals are nice and Palantir is evil" or "there are laws" but I am not sure why Palantir would be exempt unless anyone has proof or anything besides a vibes based argument but then we're back to square one.
    - toofy 8mo ago
      was someone arguing there are illegal backdoors?
  - remarkEon 8mo ago
    Did you read the article? There's no evidence cited in it at all. This comment thread made me think "wow, Palantir must be selling PHI to the mob" or something, and The Intercept has the receipts, but the article simply states that Palantir has a contract to run medicaid billing. It then goes on to say that Palantir also works with other government agencies like ICE (bad), and the Israelis (worse than ICE), and the UK (they've crossed the line now!) It's entirely left up to the reader to fill in the blanks that whatever is going on with this contract is nefarious and bad. The Intercept used to do good work, but this article is complete trash. At least the author was self aware enough to reference the 2016 reporting.

oscaracso 8mo ago

Your link and description of it as a software company are irrelevant to the discussion, which concerns their retention and use of personal data. I welcome anyone to give their disclosure a critical reading. (They promise to follow the law- whew!) https://www.palantir.com/privacy-and-security/ https://www.palantir.com/privacy-and-security/

jonnybgood 8mo ago
You mean the logging of their web traffic and communications with them like every corporate website does? Can you specify?