Founded in 2003, Palantir – named after the all-seeing eye in J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings – was partly seeded with money from the US intelligence community. It has since developed AI-powered data-integration software that can collate, process and analyze massive amounts of data on governments, organizations or individuals – software that is now deeply embedded in the US military and surveillance complex. 

Within the UN itself, there is a split between those who resist Palantir’s growing involvement in its agencies – who want to ensure that any adoption of related AI-powered programs is responsable and ethical – and the move-fast-and-break-things crowd trumpeting “efficiency”. 

A cyberattack on the Rome-based WFP in May exposed sensitive data on thousands of aid beneficiaries in Gaza, underscoring concerns about data protection. However, the WFP said the attack was limited to its Self-Registration Application for Palestine, where displaced people can sign up for aid, but which has "no direct connection" to Palantir software. 

Some WFP personnel have expressed concern that data from the UN agency on beneficiaries could be used to train Palantir's data systems. Some are also apprehensive about partnering with a software company whose technologies have reportedly been used by US authorities in immigration enforcement and by military forces for lethal operations in the Middle East, notably in Iran and Gaza. To quote CEO Alex Karp, Palantir's product is "used on occasion to kill people".