Trump gave ropes in Palantir to compile data on Americans
Washington: In March, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to the federal government to share data in agencies, questioning whether he could compile a master list of personal information on Americans that can give them untold monitoring power.Trump has not publicly talked about this effort. But behind the curtain, the authorities have quietly placed technical construction blocks in place to enable their plan. In particular, he turned to a company: Palaantir, data analysis and technology firm.Representatives of Palantir are also talking about buying at least two other agencies – Social Security Administration and Internal Revenue Services – their techniques. Push has put a major Palanti product called Foundry in at least four federal agencies including DHS and Department of Health and Human Services. Widely adopting the foundry, which organizes and analyzes data, paves the way for Trump to easily merge the information from various agencies, the government officials said.Creating detailed drawings of Americans based on government data is not just a pipe dream. The Trump administration has already sought access to hundreds of data points on citizens and others through the government database, including their bank account number, their student loan amount, their medical claims and any disability situation.Democratic MPs and critics have said that Trump has potentially used such information to carry forward their political agenda by punishing immigrants and critics. Privacy advocates, student unions and labor rights organizations have filed lawsuits for blocking data access, asking whether the government can make people’s personal information weapons.
