Technofascism in the U.S.: Concerns Raised Over Palantir’s Role in Trump’s ICE Machinery

Original article: Tecnofascismo en EE.UU.: denuncian que Palantir potencia la maquinaria del ICE bajo Trump

Palantir, Peter Thiel’s data company, is central to the establishment of a «surveillance authoritarian state» in the United States under the Trump administration, according to journalist Carole Cadwalladr, who warned that the UK could be next.

In an article published on January 30, 2026, British journalist Carole Cadwalladr, known for her investigation into technology’s impact on democracy, issued a dire warning: the United States is constructing a system of «technofascism» under Donald Trump, where mass surveillance and artificial intelligence merge with state power to repress, deport, and instill fear.

At the heart of this machinery is the data analysis firm Palantir, founded by tech mogul and libertarian Peter Thiel.

«What is happening in the United States is technofascism. This is fascism combined with advanced surveillance technologies,» Cadwalladr stated, who previously exposed the scandal involving the UK consultancy Cambridge Analytica, which manipulated data from millions of Facebook users to influence the outcomes of the U.S. presidential elections and the Brexit referendum.

During the 2016 scandal, she confirmed that, through a personality test, the consultancy illegally accessed the information of approximately 87 million users to sway their decisions with fake news, encouraging votes for Brexit and Donald Trump’s presidential campaign.

Cadwalladr now warns that we face an «extreme existential threat,» exacerbated by the recent surge in violence in Minneapolis, where a masked armed man coldly executed a civilian, and by Trump’s threats against NATO allies.

«What is happening in Minneapolis is a test balloon. It is where Trump is testing the limits of his power,» she noted.

Palantir Fuels ICE’s Operations Under a «Surveillance Authoritarian State»

The allegations center on Palantir’s role as a key technology provider for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), with Cadwalladr citing a report from 404 Media. This report references a leaked user guide detailing the «Enhanced Leads Identification and Targeting for Enforcement (ELITE)» system designed by Palantir for ICE.

This system is described as «a targeting tool designed to enhance identification and prioritization capabilities of high-value targets through advanced analytics.»

Specifically, the application generates a map of potential deportation targets, displays a dossier for each individual, and assigns a «confidence score» regarding their current address by ingesting multiple personal data sets, including, as previously revealed, the Medicaid records of 79 million Americans.

According to Cadwalladr, the operation extends beyond deportation. A video circulating on social media shows an ICE officer filming a protester and saying, «We have a lovely database. And now you’re considered a domestic terrorist.» For the journalist and investigator, this exemplifies the initiative’s core.

«Personal data is the key to Trump’s political project. It is an essential part of ICE’s work and the foundation of what is currently being constructed, and Minneapolis is where this is being built: a surveillance authoritarian state,» she warned.

«The British Government is Palantir’s Second Largest Client»

According to Cadwalladr, the UK is not merely a spectator but a key player funding and normalizing this technofascism.

«The British government is Palantir’s second largest client. Taxpayers’ money is supporting its outcomes,» she stated.

Investigations by The Nerve revealed that Palantir not only has access to sensitive data from the National Health Service (NHS) but also underpins much of the country’s critical infrastructure and even plays a role in managing the UK’s nuclear arsenal.

Palantir is a Political Project with Networks of Power

To highlight the extent of the threat, Cadwalladr emphasized that Palantir is not a conventional tech company but rather a «political project.»

To support her argument, she referenced comments from Thiel himself, who at a libertarian conference in 2010 stated: «The basic idea was that we could never win elections based on certain things because we were such a small minority, but perhaps you could change the world unilaterally without having to continually convince people, beg and plead with people who will never agree with you through technological means. And this is where I think technology is an incredible alternative to politics.»

This vision, Cadwalladr argues, is in direct conflict with democracy. «Thiel does not believe in democracy. He has stated that he doesn’t think that ‘freedom and democracy’ are compatible.»

The authoritarian mission, she added, is shared by Palantir’s executive circle, pointing to statements from CEO Alex Karp, who speaks of «scaring enemies and, at times, killing them,» as well as co-founder Joe Lonsdale, who, in response to a post about the kidnapping of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro by the Trump administration, tweeted: «What do you think founding Palantir was about?» celebrating the killing of «communists.»

Thiel’s network, detailed in the article, extends deep into power in Washington and London. In the U.S., it includes figures such as Donald Trump Jr., with whom he co-manages venture capital funds aligned with the Make America Great Again movement, U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance, a political protégé, and Trump himself, whom he has advised since 2016.

In the UK, the network connects with former Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his advisor Dominic Cummings, who were instrumental in awarding early major contracts to Palantir; with current Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who was taken to the company’s offices by ambassador Peter Mandelson; and with Nigel Farage, leader of the Reform UK party, who refers to Thiel as «my friend» and has appointed James Orr, a Thiel associate, as his chief advisor.

«This company should not be close to any department of the British government, let alone our NHS and nuclear weapons,» Cadwalladr concluded.

«We have handed over control of the most important and vital instruments of the state to what amounts to a hostile foreign power,» she indicated.

Her conclusion serves as an urgent call to awareness among citizens: «Ignorance and denial about the UK’s relationship with Palantir must end. This is technofascism. And it’s coming here next,» she warned.