Palantir secures £330 million NHS contract amid trust concerns and controversy

Palantir Technologies secures a seven-year, £330 million contract to revamp the NHS's patient-data system, following controversial ties and skepticism. The US software giant, known for assisting the CIA and Pentagon, faces challenges gaining trust amid concerns about civil liberties. Despite its success aiding the NHS during the pandemic, Palantir's secretive nature raises suspicions about handling sensitive health data. The clash between Silicon Valley's efficiency ethos and the UK's healthcare principles adds complexity, emphasising the need for Palantir and the government to prioritise public trust in this transformative project.

Sign up for your early morning brew of the BizNews Insider to keep you up to speed with the content that matters. The newsletter will land in your inbox at 5:30am weekdays. Register here.

Palantir's NHS Deal Faces a Trust Deficit: Matthew Brooker

By Matthew Brooker

Palantir Technologies Inc. invested a lot of time and energy in cultivating its relationship with Britain's National Health Service — treating its chairman to $75 watermelon cocktails and working effectively for free during the pandemic. That effort paid off this week when the US software company won a seven-year contract to overhaul the NHS's patient-data system. The deal's success may hinge on how skillfully Palantir can handle another lobbying task: convincing the people who actually work in and use the health service to trust it.

___STEADY_PAYWALL___