Supervillain

Spy tech firm says it’s just ‘a software company’ amid pressure for a ban on new contracts with government agenciesFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastJust weeks after it implied some cultures are inferior to others in a manifesto described by one UK MP as the “ramblings of a supervillain”, the US spy tech company Palantir says it is just “a software company” amid calls for Australian government agencies to ban any new contracts with the controversial company.In Australia, state and federal contracts with Palantir have reached nearly $80m, and federal investment in the company is reportedly more than $160m. Continue reading...

Alarm caused by posts of Alex Carp, tech firm’s CEO, championing US military dominance and of AI weaponsThe US spy tech company Palantir published a manifesto extolling the benefits of American power and implying some cultures are inferior to others – in what MPs have called “a parody of a RoboCop film” and “the ramblings of a supervillain”.“Some cultures have produced vital advances; others remain dysfunctional and regressive,” wrote Palantir in a 22-point post on X over the weekend, which also called for an end to the “postwar neutering” of Germany and Japan. Continue reading...