#Palantir

Police use controversial AI tool that looks at people’s sex lives and beliefs

Senior MPs and privacy campaigners have expressed alarm at the deployment of Palantir’s AI-powered crime-fighting software with access to sensitive personal information

Article thumbnail image

British police forces signed contracts with a US tech platform founded by right-wing billionaire Peter Theil to use AI-powered software to determine who might potentially commit a crime

Cahal Milmo , Mark Wilding

June 16, 2025 3:00 pm (Updated June 17, 2025 8:45 am)

share

Share

bookmark

Save

share

bookmark

British police forces have signed contracts with a controversial US tech giant to buy AI-powered software that uses data about an individual’s race, sex life, health and political beliefs, it can be revealed.

An internal police memo obtained by The i Paper and Liberty Investigates confirms an intention to “nationally” apply the “Nectar” intelligence system, currently deployed as a pilot by the Bedfordshire force after being developed with Silicon Valley data analysis group Palantir Technologies.

The document, obtained under freedom of information rules, shows how the Palantir system is designed to bring together dozens of existing law enforcement databases into a single computing platform to draw up detailed profiles of suspects, as well as collate information on victims of crime, witnesses, and vulnerable individuals including children.

The 34-page briefing, which deals with data protection issues related to Nectar and Bedfordshire Police, makes clear the ambition of senior officers for the system to be used across policing, including in the fight against serious organised crime.

It states: “The primary goal is to help Bedfordshire… as well as the Eastern Region Serious Organised Crime Unit… and eventually apply [Nectar] nationally. This will develop tools to better protect vulnerable people by preventing, detecting and investigating crime.”

Privacy concerns

The crime-fighting tool is the latest manifestation of the Government’s push to harness artificial intelligence to improve the performance of cash-strapped public services – from the health service to defence – with the help of private sector players such as Palantir.

But the use of the technology to access vast amounts of police data, including sensitive personal information, has alarmed senior MPs and campaigners, with one former Cabinet minister calling for Nectar to be scrutinised by Parliament.

The system is already in use by the Bedfordshire force, with a similar one understood to be under development by Leicestershire Police. It could be used to target “persons suspected of having committed or being about to commit a criminal offence”.