More than 44,000 people have used their legal rights under article 21 of the UK GDPR to object to the Federated Data Platform (FDP) that will use Palantir technology to connect NHS data, forcing NHS England to halt processing of objectors’ information unless it can show a compelling reason to continue. The mass campaign, coordinated in part by 38 Degrees and backed by petitions with hundreds of thousands of signatures, asks for processing to stop while objections are assessed and presses ministers to reconsider a seven‑year, £330m deal due to start in February 2027. Protests by Amnesty International and patient groups, including a van staged as a shot‑up Palestinian ambulance, target Palantir’s past work for the Israeli military and US immigration authorities (ICE); critics and two House of Commons select committees have urged Labour to use a contractual break clause. Individual objectors cite loss of trust in NHS confidentiality; campaigners say public backlash should prompt reversal.
Palantir defends the FDP, saying data remains under NHS control and in the UK and citing claimed operational gains: 117,000 additional operations delivered, a 14.3% reduction in long‑stay discharge delays and a 5.6% improvement in 28‑day cancer diagnosis times. NHS leaders acknowledge projected benefits may be smaller than promoted, while Palantir executives disparage critics and its CEO has publicly defended the company’s role in conflict responses. NHS England says trusts remain in control and will respond to objections in line with data protection law.
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