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EU citizens' private messages are run through Palantir's software

arvidgrange.substack.com15 points3 comments
Screenshot of EU citizens' private messages are run through Palantir's software

Since 2021, a temporary EU framework dubbed "Chat Control" has required major tech companies to scan private messages for child sexual abuse material, a regime extended this year while permanent rules remain contested. Firms such as Google, Microsoft, Snap and Meta run automated image and video detection on user traffic and, under U.S. law, forward suspected cases to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC). LinkedIn alone reported processing 22 million images and more than 2 million videos from EU users in 2024, while Microsoft reported scanning 9.6 billion images and videos globally. NCMEC’s CyberTipline received some 21 million reports in 2025, and NCMEC confirms it uses Palantir’s Foundry software - donated and run within NCMEC’s environment - to catalogue, search and find connections across that huge dataset.

The investigation highlights opaque data flows, legal and accuracy problems: many EU lawmakers and experts were unaware that Palantir-tools are used to analyze tips originating from EU message scans; NCMEC is not on the EU list of approved U.S. data recipients and relies on alternative contractual transfers; retention policies are open-ended. Data security tests challenge EU claims of near-zero false positives - research found false matches far more frequently, raising risks that consensual or benign private images could be flagged. End-to-end encrypted services such as WhatsApp and Signal are exempt, but platforms like Instagram are not. Palantir rejects the "surveillance" label and says it provides analytics software for customers.

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