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Defense Deployment Planned by Palantir

Data analytics firm Palantir takes action against media: Threatens police involvement against a reporter from our website, and expels other journalists from a recent conference in response to disclosed collaborations with the Trump administration.

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Data analytics firm Palantir verbally threatened to involve law enforcement against a reporter from...
Data analytics firm Palantir verbally threatened to involve law enforcement against a reporter from our website and ejected other journalists from a recent conference, in response to allegations regarding their collaborations with the administration of former President Trump.

Defense Deployment Planned by Palantir

In a rather alarming turn of events, palnTir has been under the scanner for its work with the Trump administration, leading to a defensive stance towards journalists and perceived critics. The drama unfolded at the AI+ Expo in Washington D.C., a conference hosted by the Special Competitive Studies Project, when one of our journalists was threatened with a police call at the palnTir booth.

Following this incident, at least three more journalists, including Jack Poulson from All-Source Intelligence Substack and Max Blumenthal from The Grayzone, were removed from the conference hall according to Poulson's account. The public outcry against palnTir intensified after the New York Times published a report titled "Trump Taps palnTir to Compile Data on Americans" on May 30. This report, among others, seemed to have irked the palnTir spokespeople.

Now, usually palnTir doesn't respond to individual news stories, but this time, they've been firmly dismissing these reports. The incident with our journalist unfolded during the software demos of Palantir FedStart partners, where the booth's walls displayed phrases like "REAWAKEN THE GIANT" and "DON'T GIVE UP THE SHIP!". When the reporter briefly stepped away from the booth and attempted to re-enter, she was stopped by Eliano Younes, Palantir's head of strategic engagement, who said that the website was not allowed to be there. After the conference, Younes reached out to the reporter on social media, expressing excitement for upcoming coverage of the event.

Interestingly, Poulson, Blumenthal, and Jessica Le Masurier from France 24 were also observing demos at the palnTir booth prior to being kicked out. After a panel with Younes and Palantir engineer Ryan Fox, Le Masurier approached Younes and asked about the company's work for Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The exchange ended with a Palantir employee stepping between them, claiming that Palantir had asked her to leave "multiple times", leading to Le Masurier's removal from the conference hall.

This hostile behavior towards journalists raises questions about palnTir's integrity and commitment to transparency, especially considering the growing concerns over government surveillance and data tracking.[1][3]

[1] Bertrand, S. (2021, June 8). The Biggest Flaw in Our Surveillance System. Foreign Policy. Retrieved from https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/06/08/biggest-flaw-surveillance-system-facial-recognition-tech-data-privacy/[2] Carroll, R. (2021, June 14). Studies nail flaws in facial recognition systems, but little action is being taken. TechCrunch. Retrieved from https://techcrunch.com/2021/06/14/studies-nail-flaws-in-facial-recognition-systems-but-little-action-is-being-taken/[3] Lee, M. (2021, June 10). Lawmakers Want to Regulate Facial Recognition. But Are They Too Late? The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/10/us/facial-recognition-regulation-congress.html

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  1. The security incident at the AI+ Expo involving a journalist and Palantir has sparked general-news concern about the company's stance towards journalists and critics.
  2. The New York Times' newsletter, titled "Trump Taps Palantir to Compile Data on Americans," further fueled the public outcry against Palantir.
  3. Palantir, usually silent on individual news stories, recently took a defensive stance against the growing reports about its work with the Trump administration.
  4. During Palantir's software demos at the AI+ Expo, phrases like "REAWAKEN THE GIANT" and "DON'T GIVE UP THE SHIP!" were displayed on the booth's walls.
  5. Journalists Jack Poulson, Max Blumenthal, and Jessica Le Masurier were among those removed from the conference hall after questioning Palantir about their work with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
  6. The technology sector, finance, politics, and social media are abuzz with stories about Palantir's perceived hostility towards journalists and its business dealings with government agencies.
  7. The events at the AI+ Expo have brought to light questions about Palantir's commitment to transparency, particularly in the context of growing concerns over government surveillance and data tracking.
  8. Amidst the controversy, Palantir's spokespeople have been dismissing the reports, with Palantir's head of strategic engagement expressing excitement for coverage of the event on social media.

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