{
  "id": 272178,
  "title": "State Department Wants Palantir’s Advice on Free Speech and “Countering Digital Surveillance”",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/07/state-department-wants-palantirs-advice-on-free-speech-and-countering",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-08-07T16:02:04.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Intercept",
    "slug": "the-intercept",
    "url": "https://theintercept.com/2026/08/07/state-department-palantir-free-speech-surveillance/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Trump administration has enlisted the assistance of Palantir, a surveillance firm with a history of attacking press freedoms, to provide guidance for the State Department's new \"Freedom Tech Excellence Program.\" The program aims to advise on digital freedom and expression, as well as counter-surveillance and First Amendment issues. Palantir, founded by right-wing powerbroker Peter Thiel, offers its AI and data integration expertise to the government for limited-term contracts. Although the State Department and Palantir deny being reliable advocates for online freedom of expression, their involvement has raised concerns among privacy advocates and legal experts. The program is set to run until early 2029, with participants potentially requiring security clearances, but the initiative is not intended to bolster the Department's internal AI usage.",
  "summary": "Founded by Trump ally and right-wing billionaire Peter Thiel, Palantir has attacked the press and works in the digital surveillance space. The post State Department Wants Palantir’s Advice on Free Speech and “Countering Digital Surveillance” appeared first on The Intercept .",
  "key_points": [
    "Palantir, surveillance firm, advises State Department on free speech",
    "Founded by Peter Thiel, Palantir offers AI and data integration",
    "Program runs until early 2029, no internal AI usage intended"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Intercept",
        "title": "State Department Wants Palantir’s Advice on Free Speech and “Countering Digital Surveillance”",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/07/state-department-wants-palantirs-advice-on-free-speech-and-countering-313073",
        "published": "2026-08-07T16:02:04.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}