Concerns Raised Over Palantir’s Role in Norway’s Public Sector

Espen Dalløkken, a system developer, has voiced concerns regarding the involvement of Palantir Technologies in Norway’s public sector. His commentary follows a debate sparked by Hans Christian Pretorius, a partner at KPMG, who defended Palantir’s technology and its adoption by Norwegian organizations. Dalløkken highlights KPMG’s close ties to Palantir, noting that the consulting firm played a key role in introducing Palantir’s systems to the UK’s National Health Service (NHS). He questions Pretorius’s impartiality due to this connection. Dalløkken points to the risks associated with Palantir’s proprietary data analysis systems, emphasizing that while Norway may own its data, it might lack the ability to fully understand or replicate the analyses without Palantir’s technology and methods. He references Switzerland’s defense sector, which deemed Palantir’s systems unsafe for military use despite hosting Palantir’s European headquarters. Switzerland has also reportedly considered classifying Palantir as mercenaries due to the company’s involvement in human rights controversies. Dalløkken further critiques Palantir’s founding and leadership, noting financial backing from the CIA and CEO Alex Karp’s statements prioritizing American interests. He warns of the security and financial risks posed by dependency on a single proprietary platform, describing it as a form of vendor lock-in. While KPMG Norway is not directly contracted with Palantir, it is part of the global KPMG network, which maintains commercial ties with Palantir. Dalløkken argues that Palantir’s expanding presence in Norwegian public agencies represents a security threat and calls for restrictions on the company’s involvement in government institutions.