6 min read Technology & AI

How Palantir Is Powering the Largest Civilian Surveillance System in U.S. History

Clean infographic showing the word “PALANTIR” with icons for government and AI, and key stats: $2.5B in federal contracts, $300B+ valuation, against a white minimalist background.
Palantir has become a pillar of U.S. digital governance through billions in federal contracts and AI-driven platforms.

Summary

Palantir has secured over $2.5 billion in federal contracts and embedded its AI platforms across top U.S. agencies.
Backed by a 2025 executive order, the company is fusing IRS, SSA, ICE, and DOD data into a unified surveillance grid.
As privacy advocates raise constitutional alarms, Palantir’s valuation soars past $300B.
Here’s how it works—and why it’s reshaping the boundaries of digital governance.

Introduction

In 2025, Palantir Technologies has become more than a data analytics company—it is now the cornerstone of America’s civilian surveillance architecture. With platforms like Gotham, Foundry, and the Maven Smart System, Palantir connects siloed data across federal agencies to enable real-time intelligence, behavior scoring, and predictive targeting. This transformation is fueled by massive federal spending and a policy shift toward frictionless data sharing, raising deep constitutional and civil liberties questions.

Trend Breakdown

Federal Contracts and Government Dependence

AgencyContract AmountPlatformPurpose
DoD (2025)$1.3BGotham/MavenBattlefield + domestic AI surveillance
CDAO$795MMaven Smart SystemMilitary decision intelligence
Army$480MMavenPrototyping/expansion
ICE$30MImmigrationOSMigrant tracking & deportation
Other$601MFoundry/GothamCross-agency integration
  • Total contracts (2009–2025): ~$2.5B [27]
  • 2024 contract total alone: $531M [27]
  • 2024 revenue: $2.87B (55% government) [28]
  • Q1 2025 government revenue: $373M (+45% YoY) [28]

Between 2020 and 2025, Palantir underwent a major shift in its revenue composition.
In 2020, government contracts accounted for 45% of total revenue, while commercial clients made up 55%.
By 2022, government and commercial shares converged at 50%, marking an inflection point.
From there, the gap widened rapidly—government share reached 55% in 2024, and by 2025, it climbed to 58%, firmly overtaking commercial revenue at 42%.

This trend reflects Palantir’s growing reliance on federal contracts as a core growth driver, reshaping its business model toward public-sector dependence.

Line chart showing Palantir’s revenue shift from 2020 to 2025: government share rose from 45% to 58%, overtaking commercial share in 2022 and continuing to grow.
By 2022, Palantir’s government revenue surpassed commercial revenue, reaching nearly 60% by 2025—marking a major shift in its business model.
A clean white table showing Palantir’s revenue split from 2020 to 2025, where government share increases from 45% to 58% and commercial share drops from 55% to 42%.
Palantir’s revenue shifted from commercial to government contracts between 2020 and 2025, with government share rising from 45% to 58%.

Cross-Agency Platform Deployment

Following Trump’s March 2025 executive order mandating inter-agency data sharing [24], Palantir began deploying Foundry and Gotham across:

  • DHS – border security and threat analytics
  • HHS – healthcare fraud and cost optimization
  • IRS & SSA – under negotiation; plans to unify tax, disability, and entitlement records [1][29]
  • ICE – ImmigrationOS for real-time migrant monitoring [6]
Table showing how U.S. agencies like DHS, HHS, ICE, IRS, and SSA use Palantir platforms—Foundry, Gotham, and ImmigrationOS—for tasks like fraud detection and migrant surveillance.
U.S. federal agencies using Palantir platforms for surveillance, fraud detection, and analytics, including DHS, IRS, and SSA.
Timeline infographic showing Palantir’s 2025 surveillance expansion, including Trump’s March executive order, ICE’s $30M contract, IRS integration talks, and a $300B market cap milestone.
Palantir’s 2025 surveillance expansion unfolded rapidly—from executive orders to $300B market cap milestones.

Palantir's AI Systems at Work

Gotham

  • Built for counterterrorism; now central to domestic threat detection
  • Predictive analytics, geospatial surveillance, real-time alerts [11]

Foundry

  • Civilian data fusion platform
  • Process automation, predictive modeling, policy enforcement tool [10]

Maven

  • AI military intelligence, now expanded to civilian uses
  • Satellite-based detection, battlefield command integration [25]
Infographic comparing Palantir’s AI platforms: Gotham for domestic surveillance and predictive analytics, Foundry for civilian data fusion and automation, and Maven for military intelligence tasks.
Palantir’s AI platforms—Gotham, Foundry, and Maven—serve distinct roles in surveillance, data fusion, and military intelligence.

Use Cases: From Immigrants to Algorithms

Immigration Surveillance

  • ImmigrationOS enables ICE to track self-deportation, visa overstays, and conduct family-separating raids using biometrics [6][18]

Predictive Policing

  • LAPD’s LASER and Chicago’s "police risk scores" used Palantir’s heat maps, reinforcing systemic bias [23][26]

National Security & Military

  • Deployed in Afghanistan for IED detection and counterterrorism analysis across CIA/FBI/NSA networks [11]

Why It Matters

Who’s affected?
Virtually every U.S. resident. Bank records, student loans, medical claims, and disability status are now shareable under federal guidelines.

The Risks

  • Warrantless surveillance may violate the Fourth Amendment
  • Algorithmic bias disproportionately targets marginalized groups
  • Opacity and unaccountability prevent public oversight

The Gap
Congress has not passed any significant guardrails to regulate AI surveillance despite its explosive growth in federal use.

In an era where AI systems monitor everything from bank accounts to border crossings, digital privacy is no longer optional—it’s essential.

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Takeaways

  • Palantir’s platforms are merging military-grade AI with civilian data—at scale.
  • Trump’s executive order unlocked a new era of inter-agency surveillance.
  • Despite ethical backlash, Palantir’s stock and valuation continue to climb.
  • Privacy regulation is trailing far behind technological deployment.

Sources

[1] New York Times
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/30/technology/trump-palantir-data-americans.html

[2] DefenseScoop
https://defensescoop.com/2025/05/23/dod-palantir-maven-smart-system-contract-increase/

[3] Forbes
https://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2025/06/03/new-contracts-to-drive-palantir-stock/

[4] AInvest
https://www.ainvest.com/news/palantir-government-contracts-ai-expansion-fuel-record-valuations-momentum-2506/

[5] Counterpunch
https://www.counterpunch.org/2025/06/04/trumps-palantir-powered-surveillance-is-turning-america-into-a-digital-prison/

[6] Wired
https://www.wired.com/story/ice-palantir-immigrationos/

[7] Yahoo News
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/trump-administration-silently-employs-palantir-213150870.html

[8] Economic Times
https://economictimes.com/news/international/us/palantir-to-create-vast-federal-data-platform-tying-together-millions-of-americans-private-records-stock-jumps/articleshow/121521062.cms

[9] Yahoo Finance
https://www.yahoo.com/news/palantir-expanding-surveillance-state-160027522.html

[10] BuiltIn
https://builtin.com/articles/what-is-palantir

[11] Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palantir_Technologies

[12] Nasdaq
https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/government-contract-update-30m-payment-palantir-technologies-inc

[13] Palantir 10-K
https://investors.palantir.com/files/2024%20FY%20PLTR%2010-K.pdf

[14] KeywordSearch
https://www.keywordsearch.com/blog/palantir-gotham-the-ultimate-data-solution

[15] DefenseScoop
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[16] HoschMorris
https://www.hoschmorris.com/privacy-plus-news/americas-authoritarian-turn

[17] AEI
https://www.aei.org/technology-and-innovation/palantirs-privacy-protection-moral-stand-just-good-business/

[18] Amnesty International
https://www.amnestyusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Amnest-International-Palantir-Briefing-Report-092520_Final.pdf

[19] Business Insider
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[20] CoinPriceForecast
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[21] TechInquiry
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[23] Harvard CRCL
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[24] NextGov
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[25] C4ISRNet
https://www.c4isrnet.com/artificial-intelligence/2024/05/30/palantir-wins-contract-to-expand-access-to-project-maven-ai-tools/

[26] STPP Memo
https://stpp.fordschool.umich.edu/sites/stpp/files/2024-06/stpp-predictive-policing-memo.pdf

[27] InvestorsObserver
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[32] CNBC
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Derek from TrendFoundry

Derek from TrendFoundry

Breaks down AI, tech, and economic trends—usually before your boss asks about them. Founder of TrendFoundry. Writes like a smart friend with too many tabs open. Still refuses to call himself a “thought leader.”
San Diego, CA, United States