UK: Amnesty warns NHS Data Chief - Palantir human rights concerns are 'not noise to be managed'

Responding to reports that NHS England's outgoing data chief has vowed to push Palantir's technology deeper into hospitals while dismissing human rights concerns as a distraction, Kristyan Benedict, Amnesty International UK’s Crisis Response Manager, said:

"It is deeply troubling that a senior NHS official would instruct colleagues to 'maintain focus' in the face of legitimate and well-documented human rights concerns. This is not noise to be managed - it is evidence to be reckoned with.

"Palantir's tools are being used by the Israeli military as they commit genocide against Palestinians in occupied Gaza. The same company supplies ICE with surveillance technology used to track and detain migrants in the United States. These are not abstract controversies - they are ongoing violations of international law.

"The NHS constitution states that it belongs to the people, underpinned by core values of compassionate care, dignity and humanity. Those values cannot stop at the ward door. They must extend to every contract signed with taxpayers' money.

"With the contract renewal approaching in February 2027, NHS England has a clear choice: embed a company deeply involved in human rights abuses further into our health infrastructure or take the break clause and start again with a partner the public can trust. There is only one ethical option."