About this episode

The episode discusses Palantir's controversial role in mass surveillance and its contract with the USDA, featuring guest Robert Grillo who raises concerns about its implications for the animal rights movement.

Have you ever heard of Palantir? Palantir builds data software that governments and corporations use to organize massive databases and... power mass surveillance. I won't go through every software they created, but you might know a few of them since their products always generate a backlash - like Operation Laser - which is a software that allows you to predict crimes. Yes, exactly like the movie Minority Report. I think it was dismantled after public pressure and lots of lawsuits... Well, that same company has secured a 300 million dollars contract with the United Stated Department of Agriculture. The goal of that partnership is, and I quote: "empowering USDA with core capabilities that will enable it to secure American farmland, enhance supply chain resilience, and shield agricultural programs from fraud, abuse, and foreign adversary influence." Now that is a lot of money, and that goal is very vague, and the company does not have the best of reputation. The USDA also does not have the best of reputation, siding again and again with private interests against the welfare of animals. All of that reeks, and it has lead my guest today, Robert Grillo, to raise concerns about the…

People in this episode

Host: Rayane Laddi

Guest: Robert Grillo

Topics covered

• mass surveillance
• data software
• animal rights
• government contracts
• activism

Keywords

• Palantir
• mass surveillance
• USDA
• Robert Grillo
• animal rights
• data software
• government contracts

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Palantir, United States Department of Agriculture

Books & works: Minority Report

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