Palantir is the largest big data company in the world. It does not merely manufacture applications, it is not limited to software development, and it does not operate like known companies that collect data for commercial purposes. It develops systems that can gather, cross-reference, and analyze massive volumes of information from different sources, creating a unified knowledge environment for governments, military services, law enforcement authorities, and large organizations. Exactly this capability is what makes it so powerful. And it is the reason why its presence in Greece, its relationship with American intelligence services, and its strategic cooperation with Israel raise serious questions. The issue acquires an even greater political dimension following foreign reports regarding contacts between Israeli consultants and individuals from the environment of New Democracy prior to the 2023 elections. Who were these consultants? What kind of expertise did they offer? With what tools could they analyze and influence the electorate? And, primarily, was there any cooperation with companies that possess access to massive databases?
Contacts with Israel prior to the 2023 elections
The Israeli newspaper Haaretz brought to the forefront a case concerning contacts between Israeli political communication consultants and individuals from the environment of New Democracy, during the period prior to the national elections of 2023. According to the report, contacts began in late 2022, at a time when the Mitsotakis government was receiving intense political pressure due to the wiretapping scandal. At the center of the case appears Moti Sander, a close associate of Israeli President Isaac Herzog and for years his informal advisor. During the same journalistic investigation, Herzog allegedly gave Sander the initiative to develop contacts with high-ranking officials of New Democracy, including an individual who is a current government official. At that time, the official did not hold a government post, but participated in the broader political and pre-election planning of ND. His role was allegedly pivotal in facilitating contacts between the Israeli side and individuals close to the prime minister. At the center of discussions was the possibility of participation by Israeli digital communication professionals in the pre-election campaign. The report also refers to visits by Israelis to Greece and to meetings conducted with particular discretion.
Herzog, according to Haaretz, was informed about the progress of contacts and preparation. Among the individuals appearing in the case is also Israel "Srulik" Einhorn, a former advisor to Benjamin Netanyahu. His name has been connected to the Bibileaks and Qatargate affairs. According to Haaretz, he participated in preparatory meetings and presented tools and online methods of political influence, without officially assuming a role in the pre-election campaign. The office of the Israeli president denied any involvement by Herzog. However, the Haaretz report records specific contacts and describes a communication network that developed prior to the elections. The fact that after ND's electoral victory the center-right official assumed a government post adds another political dimension to the case. The question is not whether a political party can cooperate with foreign communication consultants. The question is who exactly these consultants were, what technological tools they possessed, what data they could utilize, and what the limits of their activity were.
Palantir: The company connecting disconnected data
Palantir Technologies was founded in the US and evolved into one of the most important suppliers of data analysis software for government services, military organizations, and large enterprises. Its founder is Peter Thiel, one of the most powerful entrepreneurs of the American tech industry and a close political ally of Donald Trump on technology issues. Palantir's core strength lies in its ability to connect information scattered across different systems. A database by itself may contain names, addresses, or transactions. Another may include movements, contacts, medical information, or internet activity. Palantir's technology can combine these different categories of information, identify relationships, and create complex pictures of individuals, groups, and entire populations. This capability has obvious utility in a military operation or a security investigation. However, it can acquire an extremely dangerous dimension when used to monitor social behaviors, evaluate political trends, or target specific population groups. When, for example, dissatisfaction over an issue exists on social media, Palantir can note the trends and then dozens of bot fake accounts intervene and attempt to alter this trend.
The CIA and the American connection
Palantir's relationship with the American intelligence community is no rumor. The company was connected from its early years with In-Q-Tel, the investment vehicle created to identify and fund technologies useful for the CIA and other American agencies. The CIA was among Palantir's first state clients. The company's evolution was thus linked early on to the needs of intelligence services and the utilization of advanced data analysis systems. This relationship explains why Palantir has acquired such a strong position in the realm of national security. That is why serious suspicion exists that all of Palantir's data enters a cloud to which the CIA has access.
The Greek case of 2020 and the "Panopticon" program
Palantir found itself in Greece in 2020, amidst the pandemic, when the Mitsotakis government cooperated with it for the utilization of the Foundry platform. The company announced that it provided technological support to the government staff, using AWS infrastructure and creating monitoring and information management tools to address the health crisis. The cooperation raised questions regarding the type of data circulated, the method of processing them, and the company's access capabilities. At the center of public debate was also the reference to a program named "Panopticon", which, according to reports, concerned the prime minister's office and the processing of information related to the pandemic and citizens' potential reactions to restrictive measures. The case did not merely concern the use of a tool for recording infections. The critical issue was whether and to what extent data processing could give the government staff a comprehensive picture of social behavior, reactions, and population trends. The cooperation officially ended on December 23, 2020, according to Palantir's announcement. The Personal Data Protection Authority examined the case with decision 43/2022 and concluded the examination without imposing corrective measures, subject to new evidence. The question of whether Palantir acquired access to the totality of Greek citizens' personal data remains unclarified.
Clearview AI and the biometric dimension
Palantir is not the only company in the broader technological environment of Peter Thiel that has found itself at the center of reactions for managing personal data. Clearview AI, a facial recognition company with investment connections in the American tech industry, became known for the mass collection of photographs from the internet and social media. Its software creates image databases that can be used to recognize individuals via biometric characteristics. Its activity provoked serious reactions in Europe. In 2022, the Greek Personal Data Protection Authority imposed a fine of 20 million euros on Clearview AI for legislation violations regarding the collection and processing of personal and biometric data. It is a given that the concentration of this data gives immense power to whoever holds it.
Team Jorge: The international digital manipulation network
In 2023, the Guardian, in cooperation with journalists from Le Monde, Der Spiegel, and El País, revealed the activity of the so-called Team Jorge, an Israeli group allegedly offering covert intervention services in elections and public opinion influence operations. Its leader appeared to be Tal Hanan, a former member of Israeli special forces, who used the pseudonym "Jorge". Journalists approached the group posing as potential clients and recorded presentations of its services. According to what Hanan allegedly claimed, the group had participated in 33 presidential-level campaigns, of which 27 had successful outcomes. He also claimed to possess teams in different countries, including Greece, as well as in the United Arab Emirates. The services described were not limited to conventional political communication. They included hacking, sabotage, automated misinformation, and the creation of fake online identities, with the aim of covertly shaping public opinion. Team Jorge's central tool was Advanced Impact Media Solutions, known as Aims.
This is a software package that, according to the investigation, allowed the management of a large network of fake accounts on social networks and other online platforms. These accounts did not necessarily appear as hastily and easily identifiable fake profiles. Some possessed activity history, email accounts, and even accounts on commercial platforms and digital wallets. The objective was to create the image of real users who could disseminate messages, reinforce specific narratives, and create a artificial impression of social acceptance. Hanan reportedly described the group's activity as a service available to intelligence agencies, political campaigns, and private enterprises. He also mentioned that fees for interventions in elections could range from 6 to 15 million euros, with payment capability in different currencies, cash, or cryptocurrencies. Of particular significance is Hanan's own reference that the group possessed a presence in Greece. Journalists recorded his claims without managing to independently verify every individual operation he described. This highlights that nothing is accidental and how organized and commercialized digital intervention in political life can be.
How do all these connect to the Greek elections?
Here lies the core of the issue. On one hand, there are the contacts of Israeli consultants with individuals from the environment of New Democracy, as described by Haaretz. On the other hand, there is the Guardian's revelation about Team Jorge and its claims regarding presence in Greece. And in the middle is Palantir, a company with immense data interconnection and analysis capabilities and a long relationship with the American intelligence community. And which had cooperation with ND and the Mitsotakis government at the time of the coronavirus. The questions are many beyond this cooperation and international reports.
-Was there access to citizen data or information concerning social and political behaviors?
-Were electorate analysis tools utilized?
The capabilities of modern data analysis systems are such that a political campaign can acquire an extremely detailed picture of the concerns, preferences, and reactions of different social groups. It can adjust its messages per region, age, professional category, or interest. It can identify which issues mobilize specific audiences and which provoke fear, anger, or disappointment. And in combination with digital influence mechanisms and fake account networks, it can steer reactions or anticipate them. It is a primary question for many how in 2023, when great dissatisfaction existed from the Tempi tragedy, the imposition of vaccination, the closure of the economy, and the restriction of freedoms during Covid-19, ND received 41 percent in elections the same year? It should be noted that in the national elections of May 21, 2023, in Greece, complaints and posts emerged that "dead people voted", as certain deceased individuals still appeared registered on electoral rolls. The problem, however, primarily concerned the untimely deletion of deceased individuals, particularly Greeks who had died abroad and whose death had not been reported to Greek authorities, rather than documented mass voting under their names. The electoral rolls of May 21 had been finalized based on changes up to February 28, 2023, while the existence of a dead person's name on the roll does not prove by itself that they voted. The Ministry of Interior later recognized the necessity of purging the rolls, and the relevant regulation was voted in 2024, after the elections. The OSCE/ODIHR report on the elections did not reach the conclusion that mass rigging occurred, however it is characteristic that it found 179,000 registered individuals on the rolls who were over 100 years old.
Maxilianos
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