Appearing on the All-In Podcast this week, Palantir (PLTR) CEO Alex Karp pushed back against accusations that the company engages in surveillance. Palantir, an AI software firm best known for building data analytics platforms for governments and corporations, has long faced questions about how its tools are used.
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“We are the single worst technology to use to abuse civil liberties, which is by the way the reason why we could never get the NSA or the FBI to actually buy our product,” Karp said.
Pressed further on whether Palantir has ever surveilled Americans, Karp responded: “No, we are not surveilling… uh, U.S. citizens.”
Despite the controversy, Palantir stock has been resilient, rallying 9% over the past five days as investors bet on continued government contracts and adoption of its artificial intelligence platform.
Snowden Files Paint a More Complicated Picture
Karp’s denial contrasts sharply with evidence published in 2017 by The Intercept from the Edward Snowden leaks. Those documents showed Palantir’s software was used alongside the NSA’s powerful XKEYSCORE program, which vacuumed up data across the global internet. This data included emails, Facebook (META) messages, browsing records, and even webcam footage.
Furthermore, one NSA presentation explicitly described how Palantir was integrated into “Mastering the Internet,” a joint surveillance project with Britain’s GCHQ.
Palantir Faces Rising Scrutiny in Washington
Palantir’s government contracts have expanded under the Trump administration, including a central role in a White House plan to share data across federal agencies. Critics worry such projects could create a de facto national database of Americans’ personal information.
Karp has repeatedly dismissed such claims, calling them “ridiculous shit” in a CNBC interview earlier this year.
Even if Palantir itself is not directly tasked with monitoring Americans, civil liberties experts point out that mass surveillance programs routinely sweep up domestic data “incidentally.” Under Section 702 of the FISA law, the NSA can share this information with agencies like the FBI. This presents red flags about whether Palantir’s role can truly be separated from U.S. surveillance.
Is Palantir Stock a Good Stock?
Wall Street remains divided on Palantir despite its rapid growth and controversial government ties. Based on 19 analyst ratings over the past three months, the stock sits at a “Hold” consensus, with four Buys, 13 Holds, and two Sells.
The average 12-month PLTR price target is $154.47, which implies about a 9.9% downside from the current price.
