THE NHS is ready to probe potential contract breaches by US spy tech firm Palantir after the corporate plotted an influencer marketing campaign to shut down criticism from campaigners.
Palantir failed to search prior approval from NHS England for a marketing campaign selling its £330 million contract to run an information platform for the well being service.
The contract sparked fierce criticism from campaigners who cited privateness issues over sharing medical knowledge with the secretive firm, which was first funded by the CIA.
According to leaked emails, Palantir employed PR company Topham Guerin, which beforehand ran campaigns for the Conservative Party, and marketing company Disrupt, to method influencers.
The temporary outlined a campaign to “clear up misinformation relating to some latest knowledge privateness issues that have been shared within the UK press.”
It went on to accuse The Good Law Project, which flagged issues over safeguarding knowledge, of “spreading concern.”
The influencers have been requested to specify their charges for posting a video and a follow-up tweet to “increase consciousness about Palantir’s contract with the NHS.”
Influencers have been informed they have to “maintain the model confidential and never tag Palantir.”
The Federated Data Platform contract was revealed simply earlier than Christmas.
While a lot of it’s redacted, the publicity and branding part stipulates that Palantir just isn’t to use NHS England’s identify or branding in any marketing with out prior consent.
NHS England confirmed to Bloomberg on Saturday that it’s going to now be investigating whether or not Palantir violated the contract phrases.
Good Law Project’s government director Jo Maugham stated: “Palantir just isn’t — and albeit by no means has been — an organization that may be trusted with this nationally essential contract with our NHS.
“By its personal behaviour it’s telling us precisely that.
“Within weeks, it commissioned a covert smear campaign in opposition to a outstanding critic and seems to have damaged the phrases of that contract.
“If this authorities gained’t act to defend the nationwide curiosity, the subsequent one should.”
Palantir informed Bloomberg that the campaign was an “exploratory undertaking” so it didn’t want to seek the advice of NHS England.
The Good Law Project accuses Palantir of getting no intention of in search of consent, as campaign supplies have been dated November 28 and influencers have been informed there was a “tight deadline” with the campaign aiming to go stay earlier than the brand new 12 months.
https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/nhs-investigate-palantir-spy-tech-firm-plotted-influencer-marketing-campaign
