UK: NHS at 78 - Amnesty says Palantir has ‘no business anywhere near’ patient data

Ahead of the NHS marking its 78th anniversary (5 July), Amnesty International UK is demanding the Government act now to tear up its contract with Palantir Technologies and keep the US software company out of NHS patient data for good.

Founded on 5 July 1948 on the principle that healthcare should be available to all and delivered in a way that respects human rights, including the right to privacy, the NHS now risks this founding principle being compromised by a contract with a company contributing to genocide in Gaza.

In January 2024, Palantir signed a contract with the Israeli military to support what it called "war-related missions," at a time when Israel was committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. Despite this, the company has continued to embed itself further into the health system to build the NHS's Federated Data Platform, a platform that centralises sensitive patient data.

Amnesty has repeatedly warned that a company profiting from widespread human rights violations has no place holding the infrastructure of patient data – its record alone represents an inherent risk to privacy, informed consent, and public trust - the very foundations the NHS was built on.

Beyond Gaza, Palantir also supplies US immigration enforcement agency ICE with tools used to track and surveil migrants and holds a growing portfolio of UK public sector contracts, including with the Ministry of Defence, the Royal Navy and several police forces - raising wider concerns about the expansion of a company with this record into Britain's public services.

Kristyan Benedict, Amnesty International UK’s Crisis Response Manager, said:

"On the NHS's 78th birthday, we should be celebrating the principle that binds it together – not signing it away. Our healthcare, and the deeply personal data that comes with it, should not be in the hands of a company with a record of enabling rights abuses elsewhere in the world.

“Palantir's technology is used by the Israeli military in an ongoing genocide and by US immigration enforcement to track and target people for deportation. A company with that track record has no business anywhere near the most sensitive information the public holds - their health records.

“The government had a choice, and it chose Palantir. That choice can still be reversed. With the contract up for renewal next year, the pressure to reverse it is only going to grow – and we will not let up."

Amnesty is calling on the UK government to:

• Terminate the Federated Data Platform contract with Palantir Technologies
• Commit to an NHS data infrastructure built and run by accountable, rights-respecting providers
• Guarantee patients a meaningful right to know who holds their data, and to say no

Amnesty is urging supporters to take action ahead of the contract's renewal in February 2027, and to add their voice to the "No Palantir in our NHS" campaign.