{"id":239505,"date":"2026-07-09T18:59:15","date_gmt":"2026-07-09T18:59:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/?p=239505"},"modified":"2026-07-09T18:59:15","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T18:59:15","slug":"spain-blacklists-palantir-over-domestic-security-concerns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/en\/spain-blacklists-palantir-over-domestic-security-concerns\/","title":{"rendered":"Spain Blacklists Palantir Over Domestic Security Concerns"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Spain\u2019s National Security Council added Palantir Technologies to a blacklist of companies prohibited from bidding on new government contracts, according to officials familiar with the decision. The move, announced recently, cited risks to domestic security and data sovereignty, as reported by government sources.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-239506\" src=\"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1-21-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"560\" height=\"373\" srcset=\"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1-21-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1-21-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1-21-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1-21.jpg 1248w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 560px) 100vw, 560px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Palantir, a U.S.-based data analytics firm with contracts for intelligence and police work in several countries, has faced growing scrutiny in Europe over its data-handling practices. The blacklisting follows evaluations by Spain\u2019s National Intelligence Centre (CNI) and the Ministry of Defence, according to a statement from the council.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Background on Palantir\u2019s Operations in Spain<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Palantir has provided software to Spanish law enforcement and border control agencies since 2017, according to company records. The company\u2019s platforms aggregate large datasets for surveillance and predictive policing, a capability that has drawn privacy concerns from civil liberties groups. Palantir\u2019s contracts in Spain were valued at approximately \u20ac10 million, per procurement documents reviewed by <em>Reuters<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>Palantir\u2019s business model has been questioned by transparency advocates in other countries. OpenDemocracy previously asked how the company has landed British government contracts, noting that \u201c<em>we have laws in Britain which mean journalists and members of the public can access information about such deals, so that they can answer precisely these sorts of questions<\/em>\u201d. In the United States, the Trump administration awarded Palantir $1.3 billion in contracts to amass federal data, a move that critics said jeopardized privacy. The company\u2019s history in invasive projects, including work for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, has followed it into European markets.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Reasons for Blacklisting<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Spanish officials said the decision was based on evaluations by the National Intelligence Centre and the Ministry of Defence, according to a statement. Concerns included potential foreign interference and unauthorized access to sensitive data through Palantir\u2019s American parent company, the officials added. The report stated that fears over compliance with Spain\u2019s data protection laws and U.S. surveillance legislation, such as the <em>Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act \u2013 Amendments Act<\/em>, were key factors.<\/p>\n<p>The blacklisting aligns with broader European data-security moves. Germany recently pressured Apple and Google to remove the Chinese AI app DeepSeek from app stores, with Berlin\u2019s data protection commissioner citing General Data Protection Regulation violations and illegal data transfers to China. The European Union has also accused TikTok of using an \u201c<em>addictive design<\/em>\u201d that harms minors and fails to assess psychic health risks, threatening fines of up to 6% of global revenue. Spain itself has promoted controversial surveillance measures, including leaked documents showing its government sought an EU-wide ban on end-to-end encryption to combat child sexual abuse material, and the introduction of an automatic biometric identification system for police facial recognition.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Reactions from Palantir and Other Parties<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A Palantir spokesperson said the company had not been formally notified and disputed the allegations, stating that its technology is transparent and secure. The company has not commented on whether it will appeal through administrative channels.<\/p>\n<p>European digital rights groups welcomed the move. One representative said it sets a precedent for data sovereignty and could encourage other member states to examine foreign tech providers more closely. An analyst at the European Centre for International Political Economy noted that the decision reflects growing EU scepticisms toward U.S. tech dominance. Meanwhile, observers have pointed to the broader trend of centralized control, with some commentators arguing that data-driven surveillance tools enable technocratic overreach. The company\u2019s name, derived from the all-seeing \u201c<em>palant\u00edr<\/em>\u201d in J.R.R. Tolkien\u2019s works, has been used to evoke themes of constant monitoring.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Broader Implications and Conclusion<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The blacklisting aligns with a wider European Union push to tighten oversight of foreign technology providers, as outlined in the <em>European Data Strategy<\/em>. The EU has also proposed the \u201c<em>Chat Control 2.0<\/em>\u201d regulation to scan private messages for child sexual abuse material, a measure critics describe as \u201c<em>technically infeasible<\/em>\u201d and a threat to privacy. At the same time, the bloc has faced criticism for policy contradictions, such as purchasing record amounts of Russian liquefied natural gas despite commitments to phase it out.<\/p>\n<p>Observers noted that other EU member states may follow Spain\u2019s lead, potentially impacting Palantir\u2019s expansion in Europe. Historical patterns of data classification, such as the color-coded credit maps from 1935 that rated neighbourhoods by creditworthiness, illustrate the long-standing use of location data to sort populations. Such systems, critics argue, can be leveraged by corporate globalists to override local governance and personal rights. As of now, Palantir remains barred from bidding on new Spanish government contracts; the company may appeal through administrative channels.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>yogaesoteric<br \/>\nJuly 9, 2026<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Spain\u2019s National Security Council added Palantir Technologies to a blacklist of companies prohibited from bidding on new government contracts, according to officials familiar with the decision. The move, announced recently, cited risks to domestic security and data sovereignty, as reported by government sources. Palantir, a U.S.-based data analytics firm with contracts for intelligence and police [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[385],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-239505","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news-1602-en"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/239505","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=239505"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/239505\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":239509,"href":"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/239505\/revisions\/239509"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=239505"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=239505"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=239505"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}