Protesters Demand Palantir Exit NHS Over Privacy and Political Concerns
Original: ‘Hands Off Our NHS’: Anti-Palantir Protests Break Out in UK Over Deal With National Health Service
Why This Matters
Major protest highlights growing public resistance to tech partnerships with healthcare systems
Around 80 protesters gathered outside NHS ConfedExpo in Manchester to oppose Palantir's $440 million contract with UK National Health Service. They cited concerns over data privacy, national security, and company's ties to ICE and Israeli military.
Protesters wearing hospital gowns demonstrated outside a UK healthcare conference to demand termination of NHS's contract with Palantir. The deal, worth up to $440 million and running until 2031, provides data analytics and AI services through a federated data platform aimed at reducing wait times. The contract includes a break clause allowing withdrawal next February. Organized by Pull the Plug activist group, protesters included NHS workers and organizations like Amnesty International. They voiced concerns about foreign access to health data and Palantir's work with US Immigration and Israeli military. The relationship has faced scrutiny since co-founder Peter Thiel's 2023 comments suggesting the NHS should be rebuilt from scratch. Palantir began UK government work in 2020 during Covid-19 pandemic tracking.