French Spies Dump Palantir Over US Dependence Concerns

Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu announced the decision on Tuesday, revealing that the Direction Generale de la Securite Interieure (DGSI) will sever ties with the Silicon Valley data analytics company, according to Brussels Signal.

The French government is simultaneously committing 655 million euros—approximately $760 million—in public funding to develop domestic artificial intelligence capabilities, Lecornu disclosed in a social media video.

We cannot accept new strategic dependencies in the digital sphere, the Prime Minister stated, warning that France must not rely on partners who can arbitrarily restrict access to critical AI resources.

The decision follows Washington’s recent move to cut off international access to Anthropic’s advanced Fable AI model, limiting use to American customers only. That incident sparked calls across France’s political spectrum for greater technological independence from the United States ahead of next year’s presidential election.

Surveillance Concerns and CIA Ties

Palantir was co-founded by Peter Thiel, a prominent right-wing Silicon Valley entrepreneur with close ties to President Donald Trump. The company received early backing from the CIA and has worked extensively with the US government on sensitive operations, including identifying illegal immigrants and targeting operations in the US-Israel conflict with Iran.

Campaign organizations have raised alarms about Palantir’s products, citing risks of mass surveillance, violations of individual freedoms, and inadequate data protection. The company maintains it merely provides sophisticated data processing tools that help government agencies and corporations extract valuable insights from vast information streams.

European Pushback Against American Tech Dominance

Britain has witnessed similar resistance to Palantir’s expanding footprint in European government operations. Lawmakers in London recently called for the National Health Service to end its contract with the American firm, while the London mayor’s office blocked an attempt by the Metropolitan Police to partner with the company.

A report from parliament’s Science, Innovation and Technology Committee warned that dependence on a limited number of US-based technology providers creates a clear vulnerability that could leave public services exposed to foreign influence.

The French intelligence agency’s break with Palantir represents one of the most significant rejections of American technology infrastructure by a major European security service, signaling potential broader shifts in transatlantic technology relationships.

With information from Brussels Signal