ICE and Palantir: US agents using health data to hunt illegal immigrants • Hacker News Board

Re: ICE and Palantir: US agents using health data to hunt illegal immigrants

#61

Post by JumpCrisscross » Wed, Jan 28, 2026, 1:16 PM UTC

bux93 wrote: post #46

JumpCrisscross wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> every bit of data collected through a google-analytic, doubleclick, etc. link can potentially be abused for this as well I’m confused by this shoehorning. This article is about actual, not potential, abuse. It involves healthcare data the government owns being used in a novel and disturbing way. The only nexus to the private sector is in Palantir, but they aren’t bringing the data, just some analytic tools.

You should still practice minimization of PII, also known as Data Minimization. Especially in the EU, where it's the law (GDPR).

You should also wash your hands after using the toilet. That’s about as relevant to HHS sharing data with DHS as what you’re talking about.

Re: ICE and Palantir: US agents using health data to hunt illegal immigrants

#62

Post by thomaspinchone » Wed, Jan 28, 2026, 1:16 PM UTC

lrvick wrote: post #49

SilverBirch wrote: post #37

If I'm reading this correctly, they're just straight up violating the law. They're sharing information with ICE under an obligation to share information of aliens, but they're actually sharing everyone's information in an effort to identify aliens. That seems like a pretty slam shut case if there were any mechanism to investigate and prosecute it.

It has become quite clear in recent months that the the rule of law will not be enforced on the federal government or their allies.

it's been quite clear for about 50 years now

Re: ICE and Palantir: US agents using health data to hunt illegal immigrants

#63

Post by pbhjpbhj » Wed, Jan 28, 2026, 1:17 PM UTC

mothballed wrote: post #15

petterroea wrote: post #6

Private surveillance is so much more scary than regular government surveillance because they have every incentive to invent new ways of surveilling you that they then try to sell to governments, or private actors who want to influence the world. It's like classic government surveillance but every company you interacted with and every app you use may at some point turn on you and use your data against you, just becaus…

The article says the data was 'surveilled' by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and HHS in the performance of Medicare/Medicaid claims, with that surveillance fed to Palentir. Palentir has certainly assisted, but the origin of the data collection here was public and then unleashed by the state to private entity.

[flagged]

Re: ICE and Palantir: US agents using health data to hunt illegal immigrants

#64

Post by torben-friis » Wed, Jan 28, 2026, 1:17 PM UTC

rudhdb773b wrote: post #34

petterroea wrote: post #6

Private surveillance is so much more scary than regular government surveillance because they have every incentive to invent new ways of surveilling you that they then try to sell to governments, or private actors who want to influence the world. It's like classic government surveillance but every company you interacted with and every app you use may at some point turn on you and use your data against you, just becaus…

I don't really mind private surveillance. It's when the data gets sold or otherwise obtained by state powers that it gets scary.

Why would non state actors be any less scary?

Large companies colluding to reject potential hires due to surveilled ideology, sexual preferences of people in the closet filtered to scammers, hate groups learning about the family members of activists, insurance rejecting customers based on illegally obtained data… the list of risks is giant.

Re: ICE and Palantir: US agents using health data to hunt illegal immigrants

#65

Post by JumpCrisscross » Wed, Jan 28, 2026, 1:17 PM UTC

throw0101a wrote: post #40

From the leftist-Communist rag (/s) Wall Street Journal : > It started out that way. At the beginning of 2025, 87% of ICE arrests were immigrants with either a prior conviction or a criminal charge pending, according to ICE data obtained by the Deportation Data Project. Only 13% of those arrested at the beginning of 2025 didn’t have either a conviction or a pending charge. > But the criminal share of apprehensions ha…

Has anyone calculated a hazard score for apprehension for illegal immigrants with a violent criminal conviction? As in, with dragnet deportation, are the violent ones also being picked up? Or are they actually safer today than they were a few years ago given Noem and Miller are more interested in making TikTok videos than pursuing hard-to-get criminals?

Re: ICE and Palantir: US agents using health data to hunt illegal immigrants

#66

Post by rwmj » Wed, Jan 28, 2026, 1:18 PM UTC

londons_explore wrote: post #7

petterroea wrote: post #6

Private surveillance is so much more scary than regular government surveillance because they have every incentive to invent new ways of surveilling you that they then try to sell to governments, or private actors who want to influence the world. It's like classic government surveillance but every company you interacted with and every app you use may at some point turn on you and use your data against you, just becaus…

> Private surveillance is so much more scary than regular government surveillance because ... ... because the private sector tends to be far more competent and able to get shit done fast and effectively.

I've worked at both disfunctional & functional large companies, a very disfunctional start up, and a very well run public sector research organization. The deciding factor in each case was the quality of management.

Re: ICE and Palantir: US agents using health data to hunt illegal immigrants

#67

Post by globalise83 » Wed, Jan 28, 2026, 1:18 PM UTC

JumpCrisscross wrote: post #48

SilverBirch wrote: post #37

If I'm reading this correctly, they're just straight up violating the law. They're sharing information with ICE under an obligation to share information of aliens, but they're actually sharing everyone's information in an effort to identify aliens. That seems like a pretty slam shut case if there were any mechanism to investigate and prosecute it.

> I'm reading this correctly, they're just straight up violating the law HHS says “under the Immigration and Nationality Act, ‘any information in any records kept by any department or agency of the government as to the identity and location of aliens in the US shall be made available to’ immigration authorities.” If that’s true, they’re following the law.

Key part of what you wrote: "as to the identity and location of aliens" - so whatever claim they have to access health information applies to aliens. The big question is: are they harvesting citizens' health records illegally as part of this effort, and if so, when do those responsible see jail time?

Re: ICE and Palantir: US agents using health data to hunt illegal immigrants

#68

Post by windexh8er » Wed, Jan 28, 2026, 1:18 PM UTC

tgv wrote: post #17

Remember: every bit of data collected through a google-analytic, doubleclick, etc. link can potentially be abused for this as well. Techies have a responsibility as well. Remove them from your applications, or replace them with safer alternatives, and don't log (meta-)data just because it might be useful one day.

This. And when you start to think about how pervasive this is it's very likely that organizations like BCA and DHS are leveraging big tech with respect to location data of targets like students. I'm appalled at the lack of concern districts have levied against these organizations with respect to protecting their students. I wouldn't be surprised to see leaked memos between Palantir / Flock / Google / Microsoft / TikTok / Meta in the future.

Re: ICE and Palantir: US agents using health data to hunt illegal immigrants

#69

Post by throw0101a » Wed, Jan 28, 2026, 1:18 PM UTC

koe123 wrote: post #9

The "small government" conservatives really showed their true faces in 2025 and 2026. Anyone espousing these ideas will not be taken seriously by me going forward.

> Anyone espousing these ideas will not be taken seriously by me going forward.

Just because they're hypocrites does not make them wrong. Remember it was the GOP that passed the PATRIOT Act, and people were warning about that from the very beginning.

Though they've been arguing in bad faith on any number of topics (and have been for decades):

* https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/may/03/arguing-with-z...

* https://wwnorton.com/books/9781324005018

Re: ICE and Palantir: US agents using health data to hunt illegal immigrants

#70

Post by QuadmasterXLII » Wed, Jan 28, 2026, 1:18 PM UTC

londons_explore wrote: post #7

petterroea wrote: post #6

Private surveillance is so much more scary than regular government surveillance because they have every incentive to invent new ways of surveilling you that they then try to sell to governments, or private actors who want to influence the world. It's like classic government surveillance but every company you interacted with and every app you use may at some point turn on you and use your data against you, just becaus…

> Private surveillance is so much more scary than regular government surveillance because ... ... because the private sector tends to be far more competent and able to get shit done fast and effectively.

A well behaved market is much more efficient than a government, but there’s no real difference in efficiency between a random corporation and a random government - you really need a diversity of sellers and buyers, privatizing into a monsopony or monopoly is reliably disastrous. Sorry, I know this is off topic but the conflation between “markets are efficient” and “private enterprises are efficient” is so frustrating from both sides.