Reclaiming Tolkien's "Palantir" as a Warning About Surveillance Technology and Power
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Summary
The article argues for reclaiming the term "Palantir" from its current association with the controversial data analytics company and returning to its original J.R.R. Tolkien meaning as a warning about surveillance, power, and hubris. The author, who previously worked in AI and surveillance systems for clients including the Pentagon, uses the Tolkien concept of palantíri (seeing stones) as a metaphor to critique modern surveillance technologies and their implementation in systems like the UK's NHS. The piece connects the fictional palantíri's dangers of deception and misuse to real-world concerns about data platforms, government contracts, and the ethical implications of surveillance technology.
Key quotes
· 4 pulledLet's take back a term that once warned us about delusions of grandeur, careless leaders, and their ill-fated wars — and use it instead to better understand the risky nature of cloud platforms
I worked for many years in artificial intelligence companies. My job was to explain how AI and surveillance systems work for different kinds of clients, from the commercial sector all the way to the Pentagon.
This was the opening talk for the launch of Medact's Briefing on Palantir in the NHS delivered along with Amnesty International, the Good Law Project, and Corporate Watch.
Weeks after the briefing, UK parliament members began demanding the contract be scrapped.
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