London mayor Sadiq Khan blocks £50m Met police deal with Palantir
Summary
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has stopped a £50 million contract between the Metropolitan Police and the US tech company Palantir due to concerns about breaking procurement rules. The deal involved using Palantir’s AI technology to analyze police intelligence, but the approval process was incomplete and there were worries about value for money and dependence on one company.Key Facts
- The contract would have been Palantir’s largest in UK policing.
- Mayor Khan’s office said the Met Police only seriously considered Palantir, skipping other suppliers.
- The contract lacked necessary approval from the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (Mopac).
- The Met Police trialed Palantir’s AI to monitor staff behavior, which found some officers involved in misconduct.
- Palantir has over £600 million in UK public service contracts, including with the NHS and Ministry of Defence.
- Palantir was co-founded by Peter Thiel, a tech billionaire who supports President Trump.
- City Hall questioned whether ethics should be a factor in public contract decisions.
- Palantir can still bid for future contracts after a new procurement process is set up.
Read the Full Article
This is a fact-based summary from The Actual News. Click below to read the complete story directly from the original source.