Campaigners protest against Palantir at NHS Confed Expo

Demonstrators gathered outside the NHS Confed Expo to protest against the conference’s sponsorship by US data analytics giant Palantir. The US firm came under fire for being awarded a £330 million contract to operate the Federated Data Platform for NHS England. Protesters interrupted a session run by Palantir on ‘Improving health outcomes through digital technology’ to voice their objection. Security guards removed six protesters from the auditorium, sparking controversy when they tried to remove a woman wearing a hijab who claimed she was not part of the protest. Healthcare workers also protested against Palantir’s partnership with the Israeli Defence Ministry. They urged NHSE to cancel the contract with Palantir and bring public service data management in-house. Despite warnings about Palantir’s track record in human rights violations, NHSE defended their decision, stating that the FDP is essential for connecting disparate data for better care. Legal advocates have also raised concerns about Palantir’s controversial reputation. The Good Law Project took legal action against NHSE over a heavily redacted contract with Palantir. Kettering General Hospital and Northampton General Hospital were the first to transition to a local instance of the FDP. Palantir did not respond to requests for comment on the protests.