'Hands off our NHS data:'Inside the nationwide movement against Palantir’s £330m NHS deal

On a warm October afternoon in Bristol, UK, a small group gathered outside Bristol Royal Infirmary, protesting against the involvement of US data analytics firm Palantir in the country's health service. The demonstration, part of a nationwide movement on October 1, 2026, saw dozens of people protesting in Bristol alone, with hundreds elsewhere.

Former and current health workers, Amnesty International and Good Law Project campaigners, and concerned citizens joined the cause, urging the government to halt payments to Palantir for managing UK citizens' health data.

Palantir, headquartered in Miami, offers AI-powered data analytics tools aimed at managing large datasets. Its flagship software, Gotham and Foundry, is employed by various government organizations and businesses worldwide to derive insights and inform decision-making. However, the protesters' concerns about Palantir's involvement in the NHS Federated Data Platform (FDP) went beyond mere skepticism.

The £330 million contract awarded to Palantir in 2023 aims to build a centralized platform to consolidate UK citizens' health data. While the project boasts benefits such as improved efficiency, better-informed decisions, and enhanced operational performance, critics argue that their privacy and data security concerns outweigh these advantages.

The NHS security and privacy page states that the protection of individuals' data is a top priority, with measures like strong network security, purpose-based data access, and encryption implemented. Palantir is specified as a data processor, not a decision-maker, meaning it cannot dictate how the processed information is utilized. However, the protestors remain unconvinced, expressing their distrust in Palantir's ability to safeguard their sensitive data.

Protesters fear that Palantir's software could be easily repurposed for wider surveillance purposes, potentially integrating healthcare data with government surveillance systems, immigration enforcement, or other departments. Matt, a health worker and campaigner in Bristol, expressed his concerns, noting that interoperability between Palantir software and other government systems could facilitate cross-pollination between healthcare data and law enforcement work.

These apprehensions are not unfounded, as a January investigation by The Nerve revealed 34 active contracts across at least 10 UK government departments, local councils, and police authorities.