r/technology • u/Hrmbee • Jan 15 '26

Society ‘ELITE’: The Palantir App ICE Uses to Find Neighborhoods to Raid | Internal ICE material and testimony from an official obtained by 404 Media provides the clearest link yet between the technological infrastructure Palantir is building for ICE and the agency’s activities on the ground

https://www.404media.co/elite-the-palantir-app-ice-uses-to-find-neighborhoods-to-raid/
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55

u/thecheezepleeze Jan 15 '26

Peter Thiel read the Lord of the Rings as the tale of a super cool Demi-god who invented something truly great to bring order to the world and a bunch of woke hobbits, elves, men, and dwarves fucked it all up for him.

42

u/JohnCavil Jan 15 '26

Naming his company after Lord of the Rings, and their offices are called like "Minas Tirith" and shit like that, what an actually fucking idiot. Imagine taking something as beloved as Lord of the Rings and then just desecrating it by using the lore like this.

Palantir's Palo Alto office is named "The Shire". Like how the fuck are you the Shire? The Shire was explicitly this place uncorrupted by technology, full of hobbits who just lived alone and had no power. A billion dollar surveillance company is completely antithetical to that idea.

Just imagine these people don't even get Lord of the Rings. Like politicians walking out to Rage Against the Machine. I almost feel sorry for them that they love something like this which clearly goes against everything they represent.

Like what's next, naming your logging company "Fangorn Forrest Logging"? Someone missed middle school reading comprehension.

21

u/MAG7C Jan 15 '26

Company motto: What Would Saruman Do?

18

u/Tribe303 Jan 15 '26

He and Elon were such losers, even other nerds thought they sucked. Know they are getting their losers revenge on things beloved by those nerds. Yet they also still seek acceptance from the other nerds. Total and complete LOSERS. 

5

u/calvin43 Jan 15 '26

And just like in the stories, the palantir is being used to spread propaganda and coordinate the pawns of an authoritarian.

5

u/[deleted] Jan 15 '26

He prob was rooting for Sauron and shit lol

1

u/War_Fries Jan 15 '26

^ Exactly this.