Peter Thiels AI company Palantir is back in the limelight for all the wrong reasons. His clients include the CIA and the US immigration agency ICE. According to a new report, an error in the FBI's secretive software program allowed unauthorised personnel access to private data for over a year. The New York Post reports that the incident was discovered by prosecutors in Manhattan's federal court case against hacker Virgil Griffith. Palantir, in a statement, denied the claims and claimed that the FBI's improper use of the software caused the problem.
Griffith was arrested for allegedly giving North Korea information about how blockchain and cryptocurrency could be used to help it evade US sanctions in 2019. The incident revolves around the alleged hacker's social media data. This was obtained via a federal search warrant issued in March 2020. The letter claims that the Twitter and Facebook information were uploaded to Palantirs program via the default settings. This allowed unauthorized FBI employees access to it.
The material was accessed by an agent and three analysts four times between May 2020 and August 2021. According to the letter, Griffiths' FBI case agent was alerted by a colleague earlier in the month. According to the letter, those who had access to the information told prosecutors they didn't recall using it during their investigations.
In the course of a separate investigation, an FBI analyst had identified communications between defendant and subject of other investigation using searches on the Platform that accessed Search Warrant Returns. The letter noted.
Palantir is trying not to be involved in the matter. According to Palantir, there was no problem with the software. It also stated that the customer didn't follow the strict protocols required to protect search warrant return returns.
Palantir's growth is increasing, so a PR crisis involving software flaws is not something they need. The company's revenues have increased since it went public last fall. However, its operational losses are increasing. Palantirs clients now include government agencies as well as tech giants such IBM and Rio Tinto. It also works with commercial space companies in managing a meta-constellation consisting of 237 satellites.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared on Engadget.
