Palantir Closes In on Controversial UK Health Data Contract
- Five-year contract involves collecting, analyzing medical data
- UK plan drew fire from groups that worry about data privacy
Palantir Technologies Inc., the data analysis firm co-founded by tech billionaire Peter Thiel and contracted by government intelligence agencies and military forces around the world, has emerged as the top pick for a contract to overhaul the UK’s National Health Service.
The five-year contract, which may be extended by as long as two years and is worth much as £480 million ($579 million), is designed to help the agency analyze medical data, detect patterns and ultimately overhaul its entire system. The deal is subject to final approvals and legal arrangements, but the government was on track to announce Palantir as the winning bidder as soon as this month, people familiar with the discussions said, asking not to be identified because the information isn’t public.