“We kill enemies”: Spy firm Palantir secures top Australian security clearance

Cybersecurity company Palantir has received top security clearance from the Australian government despite concerns about surveillance and complicity in the Gaza genocide. Stephanie Tran reports.

In November 2025, Palantir Technologies was assessed as meeting the protected level under the Australian Information Security Registered Assessors Program (IRAP). This protection is a key requirement for companies looking to handle sensitive government information.

The evaluation enables a wider range of Australian government agencies and commercial organizations to use Palantir’s Foundry and AI platform AIP.

One expressionPalantir said the assessment was carried out by an independent third-party assessor in accordance with requirements set by the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) and that the assessment demonstrated its ability to meet “strict national security and privacy standards”.

The company described Australia as an “important market” and said the permit would open “new opportunities” in the public and private sectors.

Mass surveillance without accountability

Palantir is mired in international controversy over how its data analysis and artificial intelligence tools are used by government and military customers, and experts warn that the company’s technology enables mass surveillance and data collection with limited liability.

An ASD spokesperson stated that IRAP status must be

should not be construed as government approval or endorsement of a company’s broader behavior or use of data.

“IRAP assessments are third-party commercial agreements between IRAP assessors (or companies providing ‘IRAP assessment’ services) and assessed entities,” an ASD spokesperson said. “ASD does not sign or approve IRAP assessments.”

Lobbying activities amid political pressure

Palantir’s expanded access to the work of the Australian government comes at a time of increased political scrutiny. As reported by Capital SummaryCompany in July 2025 hired lobbying firm CMAX AdvisoryAfter the Greens’ call for an immediate freeze on government contracts with the company.

I want to talk to you about Palantir and its expanding footprint in Australia. TLDR: You should be worried.

This US surveillance technology company has awarded numerous Defense contracts worth over $11 million. We need transparency about what data they access and why. 🧵

— David Shoebridge (@DavidShoebridge) July 7, 2025

CMAX Advisory was founded by Christian Taubenschlag, a former chief of staff to Labor defense minister Joel Fitzgibbon, who is a special adviser at the lobbying firm. CMAX Advisory represents a number of major defense contractors, including EOS and Raytheon.

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Gaza, ICE and Coles

Palantir has faced ongoing criticism around the world for how its software is used by government customers.

In April 2025, CEO Alex Karp denied accusations that Palantir technology was used. Targeting and killing Palestinians It was stated that most of those killed in Gaza were “terrorists”.

UN Special Rapporteur for the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Francesca Albanese, in question There are “reasonable grounds” to believe that Palantir “provides automated predictive policing technology, core defense infrastructure for the rapid and scaled construction and deployment of military software, and an Artificial Intelligence Platform that enables the integration of real-time battlefield data for automated decision-making.”

Palantir has long worked with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the United States. One investigation with 404 Media It revealed that the company had developed a tool that created detailed dossiers on potential deportation targets, mapped their locations and assigned “confidence scores” to their likely locations.

The company has also attracted attention in Australia for its work with private sector clients, including Coles. hired reducing costs and “optimizing” the company’s workforce.

“We kill the enemies”

Karp was upfront about Palantir’s mission. While speaking to shareholders and investors last week, described The company’s goal was to help the West “scare enemies” and “occasionally kill them.”

Karp too he joked It’s about “taking a drone and spraying slightly fentanyl-laced urine on analysts trying to rip us off.”

Millions of dollars in government contracts

Despite the controversy, Palantir has quietly built a significant footprint in Australia. The company has signed more than $50 million in contracts with the Australian government since 2013, largely across defense and national security-related agencies, according to Austender data.

The 2024 financial report of its Australian subsidiary Palantir Technologies Australia Pty Ltd shows revenue from customer contracts of $25.5 million in 2024, although the company’s local financial reports have not been audited.

Coming to Palantir in 2020 recommended He said the Australian government was considering “extending the exemption from public access to disclosure documents”, arguing that submitting financial reports to ASIC was “expensive” and “gives competitors access to confidential information”.

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Stephanie is a journalist with a passion for uncovering stories that will hold the power to account. With experience in both law and journalism, he worked at The Guardian and worked as a paralegal, where he assisted Crikey’s defense team in the high-profile libel case brought by Lachlan Murdoch. His reporting has been recognized nationally, earning him the 2021 Guardians of Democracy Award for Student Investigative Reporting and a nomination for the 2021 Walkley Student Journalist of the Year Award.