Palantir's self-praise: “We have made Sweden stronger”

After harsh criticism from the UN and human rights organizations, Palantir now defends its activities. At the same time, the company refuses to reveal how the technology is used in Swedish authorities. Instead, it highlights its own role - and claims that Sweden has become ”stronger”.

Palantir has been criticized for years for surveillance, military links and lack of transparency. Representatives of the company have held secret meetings with the Swedish government, including between the founder Peter Thiel and Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson at the Bilderberg meeting in Stockholm in summer 2025. Shortly afterwards, it emerged that Palantir was widely used by the police.

A few months later, the company's representatives met both Kristersson, Deputy Prime Minister Ebba Busch, leader of the Social Democrats Magdalena Andersson and the former European Commissioner Ylva Johansson at the secretive Tylösand conference.

Painting a different picture

The company has now responded to the accusations, but without giving concrete answers to how the technology is actually used in Swedish authorities. Instead, it repeats general statements about security, efficiency and compliance with the law.

The new statements come after a period of growing scrutiny of Palantir's activities in Sweden and internationally. The company has been linked to both military operations and advanced data collection, while collaborations with Swedish authorities are largely kept secret. In the interview, the company now tries to explain its role - without opening up its operations to transparency.

Palantir's Head of Sweden Anders Fridén portrays the company's impact as positive, but without providing any details about its operations.

- I firmly believe that Sweden has become better and stronger because of what we have delivered, he says in an interview with Svenska Dagbladet (SvD). At the same time, the company refuses to disclose which authorities use the systems or how extensive the cooperation is.

- I would love to tell you much more about what we do. But because we respect laws and confidentiality, we can't tell you more than that, says Fridén.

Criticism dismissed - but no details

Palantir has been repeatedly criticized in international contexts, including for links to surveillance and military operations. Despite this, the company has chosen to dismiss the allegations without providing a concrete response to how the systems are used in practice.

- We receive accusations against our company that are completely alien to what it actually looks like, says Fridén. At the same time, he describes the company's role as a neutral technology provider, We deliver technology for public authorities to manage the data they already have, so that they can more effectively carry out the mission we as a society give them.

Responsibility shifts away from the company

When asked about responsibility for the use of technology, Palantir points to legislation and political decisions. This means that the company develops advanced systems, but does not want to take responsibility for how they are used in practice.

- Ultimately, everything is governed by laws. These are the rules of the game for us and for our government customers," says Fridén, I don't want to say that a private company should dictate exactly how a particular technology can operate within a democratically governed institution.

Denies risks despite repeated warnings

Despite the fact that both the UN and human rights organizations have pointed to risks with the technology, Palantir dismisses such scenarios. The company believes that the criticism is unfounded and that the responsibility lies with the person making the accusations.

- I do not think so. And I think the burden of proof is on the person making the claim, says Fridén.

At the same time, the systems are described as being able to handle large amounts of data from, for example, intelligence services, drones and signals intelligence, which makes the question of use central.

“Full control” - but still unclear

Palantir claims that customers have full control over their data and that the company does not access it.

- "Absolutely. Customers own their data and have complete control over who gets to see it," he tells SvD.

Despite this, it remains unclear how the systems are used in practice, what decisions they influence and how far they are integrated into government. At the same time, the company continues to expand, without providing transparency on its core business.