Dems Grill Palantir Over Trump-Era “Mega-Database” of Americans

Washington, D.C. – A group of Democratic lawmakers is demanding answers from Palantir Technologies CEO Alex Karp regarding the company’s lucrative federal contracts secured during Donald Trump’s presidency. The concern? That Palantir is building a massive database of Americans’ private information, potentially violating privacy laws.

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) spearheaded a letter expressing alarm over reports that Palantir is creating a government-wide, searchable “mega-database” containing sensitive taxpayer data.

The lawmakers cited reports that Palantir employees are working within the IRS, helping to construct a “single, searchable database” of taxpayer records. This data, they fear, could be shared across government agencies, regardless of whether access is related to tax administration – a potential breach of federal law. The project was allegedly greenlit by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which reportedly has several former Palantir employees.

“We are concerned that Palantir’s software could be used to enable domestic operations that violate Americans’ rights,” the letter states, highlighting fears that the database could be weaponized to target political opponents and other individuals.

The Democrats emphasized that Palantir’s involvement extends beyond the IRS, citing the company’s role in ICE’s deportation efforts and controversial military operations.

While the letter did not address Palantir’s involvement in Project Nimbus, a cloud computing collaboration with the Israeli military, it did draw parallels to companies like IBM and Cisco, which have faced criticism for complicity in human rights abuses in other countries.

The lawmakers are requesting a comprehensive list of Palantir’s contracts, their value, the involved agencies, and whether the company has established “red lines” regarding human rights violations.

Signatories to the letter include Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), and Ed Markey (D-Mass.), and Reps. Summer Lee (D-Pa.), Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), and Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.).

The investigation comes amid growing concerns about the potential for government overreach and the erosion of privacy rights in the digital age. Palantir has yet to issue a formal response to the lawmakers’ inquiry.