The rise of intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance (Istar) applications has sparked a growing concern among civil rights advocates. These technologies are already being used to surveil, imprison, and kill people en masse. Instead, they’ve drawn deep international censure for indelibly trampling the autonomy and rights of millions of people. Private companies, such as Palantir, provide Istar technology for the military, police departments, and other government organizations. These developments raise serious ethical questions regarding how this technology is used at home and abroad.
Istar systems help academics and practitioners use AI to power incredibly large-scale data collection and provide advanced visualizations as well as real-time mapping capabilities. The implications of this technology are huge. It’s currently used by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) to actively track and kill Palestinian militants in combat zones and by U.S. agencies including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to surveil and deport migrants and their families. This duality serves to illustrate how insidious Istar applications are, able to ensnare people well outside the scope of their intended targets.
Advocacy groups report Istar tools develop wide-ranging “dragnets.” These dragnets collect information that not only affects the people they target, but the family members, associates, and others connected to those individuals. These efficiency-oriented tools have received significant goodwill based on the presumed efficiencies they could create in operations. The collateral damage they inflict on families and communities poses profound and troubling ethical implications. Critics claim that Istar technology fosters an atmosphere of fear and is a violation of civil liberties.
A huge aspect of Palentir’s public relations troubles stem from providing Istar systems. The company continues to sell technology to the IDF to use for military operations. These legislative acts are widely characterized as violent and perverse. Israeli armed forces have created materials such as “Where’s Daddy.” Accounts from those who’ve used these tools claim that they can be used to track a person to their residence for targeted killing.
Furthermore, the use of data obtained from private brokers or companies like Waymo and Meta allows for warrantless searches and seizures of data without the subjects’ consent. These practices appear to violate individuals’ First and Fourth Amendment rights. Taken together, these changes herald the coming of the most radical civil liberties doctrine in an increasingly surveilled society.
Although Palantir claims to be “committed to defending human rights,” many are not convinced of its practices. The company has consistently and publicly disputed such reports that it conducts mass surveillance on Americans. This denial is patently absurd in light of testimony like that of Juan Sebastian Pinto. In fact, his friend even cautioned, “ICE is right behind you,” illustrating the pervasive panic that ICE’s widespread, militaristic approach to targeting undocumented immigrants has cultivated.
The implications of Istar technology go further than specific instances. Examples of legislation In Colorado, recent legislation aims to prohibit discrimination against residents through use of AI. It is in danger as opposition mounts against the rollout of Istar applications around the state. With each of these developments, civil rights protections seem to take a back seat to national security interests.
Advocates have expressed concerns that Istar tools endanger the targets they identify. They contribute to this cycle of fear and distrust in communities. Despite their potential to disrupt community members’ lives, these advanced surveillance capabilities are being deployed without oversight or accountability. These systems have a wide impact. They can foster a climate of surveillance in which everyone feels they are being watched, leading to a pervasive self-censorship and chilling effect on free expression.