Key facts
- Personal information of NDIS participants may have been shared with Palantir's analytics platform.
- The data sharing is part of a multi-agency Fraud Fusion Taskforce investigating fraud.
- The ACIC uses Palantir software for intelligence gathering and data analysis.
- NDIA confirmed sharing participant information with the taskforce when potential criminal conduct is suspected.
- Critics expressed concern over the use of Palantir and the aggregation of sensitive data.
Personal information of participants in Australia's National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) may have been shared with the analytics platform of controversial software company Palantir. This data sharing is reportedly part of a massive multi-agency program aimed at investigating fraud.
The NDIA, which leads the Fraud Fusion Taskforce alongside Services Australia, confirmed that NDIS participant information is shared with taskforce partners on a restricted basis when potential criminal conduct is suspected, to protect participants from fraud.
The Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC), which is responsible for the Fraud Fusion Centre, has used Palantir's software for intelligence gathering and advanced data analysis. Documents suggest ACIC's capabilities include bulk data analytics and data-matching across participating agencies' databases, with millions paid to Palantir for its software.
Concerns have been raised by digital rights advocates, including Digital Rights Watch and Greens senator David Shoebridge, who described the use of Palantir in assessing NDIS fraud as a 'dehumanizing application of surveillance technology' and a 'deep betrayal' of participant trust.
Palantir has stated that its software helps organizations use their data to solve complex problems, including serious financial crime and fraud. Meanwhile, supermarket giant Coles announced it would not extend its contract with Palantir beyond 2027.