If the Trump Administration has proven anything in recent weeks, it’s that it knows how to distract. The administration has, with impressive levels of success, attempted to suppress anger over the Epstein Files by manufacturing other crises, including the so-called “crime emergency” in D.C. And for a while this trick mostly worked, moving our attention away from the scandals that would otherwise be big news.
As of this week Trump’s relationship with Epstein is back in the news, but that does not mean that his attempts to distract us aren’t working. As the Epstein files continue to reemerge, we must remember that Trump has also been using his various smokescreens to distract from two other crises: the genocide in Gaza and the surveillance state that is currently being developed to quash dissent.
As we have been occupied by the headline stories of the day, the Trump Administration has been quietly developing a surveillance network that is, in real time, threatening the civil liberties of all Americans. At the center of this effort is tech giant Palantir, a company that operates in the shadows but that every American needs to know about.
Founded by Peter Thiel and Alex Karp in 2003, Palantir has billions of dollars in contracts with the Defense Department, as well as hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth with the Israeli government. The conflict in Gaza and Trump’s election to the presidency have clearly been large catalysts for Palantir’s growth: the company’s valuation has climbed from $50 billion to over $300 billion in just the last year. Karp has no qualms about the business practices that have allowed for this growth, telling investors last year that “Palantir is here to disrupt … and when it’s necessary to scare our enemies and, on occasion, kill them.”
Since 2023, Palantir has been providing the Israeli government with “precision targeting technology,” which has been used in countless Israeli strikes, many of which resulted in civilian casualties. The surveillance technology Palantir is using here in the U.S. is eerily similar to this. Palantir’s domestic data collection product, known as Foundry, is currently being implemented within several federal agencies, including HHS, the IRS, and DHS. With Palantir’s technology, the federal government can form a detailed profile of every citizen, making it easier for them to analyze and even predict an individual’s actions. This was taken to an extreme in Los Angeles, where the LAPD contracted Palantir for a “predictive policing” program that tracked individuals’ movement based on past behavior.
Although surveillance by the American government has existed throughout our history, there was a major acceleration of surveillance programs that took place after 9/11. The 2001 Patriot Act opened the door to surveillance tactics that would have once been rejected as blatantly unconstitutional, including bulk collection of personal cell phone data. Through this legislation, our civil liberties have been severely eroded. It might seem hyperbolic, but we are a lot less free than we were pre-9/11, and government surveillance tactics are largely to blame.
So, what will the American political landscape look like in 10 years if the efforts of surveillance contractors continue unchecked? If people like Peter Thiel and Alex Karp have their way, the right of due process will be severely weakened. Those here on visas, green cards, or other forms of temporary documentation will be at risk of arrest or deportation simply for stating viewpoints that are critical of the current Israeli or American regimes.
This already happened in the case of Rümeysa Öztürk, a graduate student at my university, Tufts, who was arrested last spring for simply publishing an op-ed urging the Tufts administration to acknowledge the situation in Palestine. The piece was very even-handed and rational, and I suggest everyone read it to see what sorts of viewpoints will make a person vulnerable to this sort of targeting.
While I began this column discussing the Trump Administration’s role in surveillance, it should be mentioned that Palantir was operating with nearly identical aims long before Trump came into office. Numerous presidents, including Biden, have contracted the company to analyze data and spy on foreign adversaries. The difference now, though, is the extent to which surveillance is being used on American citizens, and the precision with which this surveillance is now capable.
As our lives become increasingly documented online and artificial intelligence becomes more advanced, the threats posed by surveillance and incursions of privacy will be of greater concern. This infringement is not an inevitable byproduct of advancing technology, though; it is a clear choice by a government and a set of corporations to reject the notion of privacy. So long as we remain distracted by political theatre, these efforts will continue. But if we ignore the distractions and grant these threats to our civil liberties the attention they deserve, we have a chance to resist the path of tyranny that is already in the making.
Olin Rose-Bardawil of Florence is a student at Tufts University where he majors in political science.