Cross-border investigation reveals Palantir's European government footprint

• An 18-nation investigative collaboration has mapped the extent of Palantir's government contracts across Europe.
• The research highlights the power of transnational journalism in tracking multinational tech influence where individual efforts fall short.

Findings

• Total documented government spending on Palantir software across the surveyed countries exceeds 1.4 billion euros.
• Notable regional expenditures include 25 million euros in Baden-Württemberg and 6.2 million euros in Italy.
• The investigation identified shifting trends, such as Spain signaling it will not renew its sole contract with the provider.

Collaborative Process

• The project was coordinated by the investigative platform Follow The Money.
• Journalists utilized extensive freedom-of-information requests across different legal jurisdictions to overcome lack of transparency.
• The initiative benefited from local expertise in each country, avoiding the pitfalls of relying on automated news translations.
• Participants emphasized that this collaborative approach is essential for monitoring companies and policies that operate beyond national borders.