Above photo: Shutterstock.
Other European states have taken similar steps.
Palantir’s reputation for gross human rights violations spreads.
Spain’s government launched a blacklist of CIA-backed Palantir Technologies from public and private state-controlled entities, Spanish media reported on 1 July.
The Spanish Prime Minister’s Office issued directives to companies under the State Society of Industrial Participations (SEPI) to cease future contracting due to security concerns and worries regarding the vulnerability of sensitive state data.
The ban targets organizations handling high-level communications and military intelligence, including Indra, Telefonica, and the shipbuilder Navantia.
Specific casualties of the policy include a Navantia project nearing completion and a negotiated partnership with the Guardia Civil that was vetoed by Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska.
Despite these restrictions, an over $18-million contract with the Armed Forces Intelligence Center (CIFAS) remains active until November.
While army and navy leadership have urged Defense Minister Margarita Robles to renew the deal, the Spanish Prime Minister’s Office has yet to make an official determination.
Spain’s stance aligns with broader European trends.
French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu announced the termination of intelligence contracts with the firm last month.
Additionally, German secret services have shifted toward competitors such as ChaosVision.
In London, Mayor Sadiq Khan halted a nearly $67-million Metropolitan Police deal, stating it represented a “clear and serious breach” of procurement rules.
To bolster domestic data sovereignty, Spain is redirecting funds toward local technology, including a $131 million investment in the Catalan firm Openchip
Madrid’s measures coincide with diplomatic friction between Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and the US government, as Palantir leadership, including Peter Thiel and Alex Karp, maintain close ties to US President Donald Trump.
Karp, CEO of Palantir, recently publicly declared himself the “most supportive CEO of Israel,” claiming that the country is “on the side of good” and expressing pride in his company’s support for the state.
WATCH | Palantir CEO Alex Karp has publicly declared himself the “most supportive CEO of Israel,” claiming that the country is “on the side of good” and expressing pride in Palantir’s support for them. While he admits to being Israel’s biggest critic in private, he maintains that… pic.twitter.com/u82lIFCVq6
— The Cradle (@TheCradleMedia) July 2, 2026
In a 2025 UN report, special rapporteur Francesca Albanese identified Palantir Technologies – founded by the CIA’s venture capital arm In-Q-Tel – as one of 48 corporate actors aiding an “economy of genocide” through its involvement in Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
The report states that the company expanded its assistance after October 2023 by providing AI systems such as “Lavender” and “Gospel” to automatically process data and generate battlefield kill lists.
Reuters reported in March 2026 that the Pentagon has designated Palantir’s Maven Smart System as an official program of record, ensuring the long-term integration of this weapons-targeting AI across the entire US military.
US Deputy Secretary of War Steve Feinberg described the system as the “cornerstone” of US strategy, as it was heavily relied upon during the US-Israeli war on Iran in February.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) reported more than 13,000 strikes on Iranian targets by 9 April, with Maven generating over 3,000 targeting options within a single 24-hour period despite a target classification accuracy of around 60 percent, compared to 84 percent for human analysts.
The campaign included a strike on Shajareh Tayyebeh Primary School in Minab, which killed at least 175 civilians, at least 160 of whom were schoolgirls between the ages of seven and 12.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) responded on 31 March by naming Palantir among 18 US technology companies whose facilities in West Asia it declared legitimate targets.
Palantir’s reputation for gross human rights violations extends into the US domestic sphere, as the CIA-linked technology firm has been using Medicaid and other government health data to help ICE generate deportation target profiles, according to a January report by Fortune.
