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

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

#71

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.

Yeah, power to execute laws is given to the executive branch. Power of the executive is bestowed upon... one person. From https://archive.is/E6zXj : > But, as Chayes studied the graft of the Karzai government, she concluded that it was anything but benign. Many in the political élite were not merely stealing reconstruction money but expropriating farmland from other Afghans. Warlords could hoodwink U.S. special force…

> Power of the executive is bestowed upon... one person

This is the unitary executive theory. It’s a novel Constitutional theory that even this SCOTUS seems reluctant to honestly embrace.

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

#72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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]

Maybe the feds violated some fine print here? I'm sure FBI will investigate. /s

The Federal Bureau of Instigation

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

#73
post #49

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.

Selectively ... Conservatism consists of exactly one proposition, to wit: There must be in-groups whom the law protects but does not bind, alongside out-groups whom the law binds but does not protect.

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

#74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

> Why would non state actors be any less scary?

Non-state actors can't easily use violence to throw me in jail.

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

#76

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.

> Palentir has certainly assisted, but the origin of the data collection here was public

Yes, it's surely public information and therefore ought to be subject to the same controls as any other personal health information. It seems moot that it was given to a private company; the issue just shifts to being that the private company (apparently) does not comply with data protection laws, e.g. HIPAA.

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

#77

How are Palantir so effective (as this article is alluding)? From a cynical British perspective, when I think of government departments and civil servants. I think inefficiency, data siloing, politics and lack of communication between departments and also internally not communicating between teams. Not withstanding a lack of cooperating and willingness to change. Did Palantir have a political mandate, or can they jus…

Palantir's mission is to exactly solve the problem you're describing: break through data siloes to get better information. Core of the platform are data pipelines that can move data from any silo into the palantir data lake, where it can be analysed. Their forward engineering project approach probably enables them to bypass the organisational boundaries between departments. Their top-down selling approach ensures management assists bypassing organisational boundaries.

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

#78
post #60

What is not clear to me from the article is what data they are getting from CMS. The article references Medicaid data, but everyone that has access to Medicaid is legally present in the country. They have to be to qualify. Some possiblities: * They are going after people legally here on temporary visas such as SIV that give them access to medicaid * They are going after people that are not on medicaid and have no ins…

> What is not clear to me from the article is what data they are getting from CMS

They’re literally just pulling up addresses (404 Media). Replace Palantir with McKinsey and making an app for VLOOKUP makes more sense.

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

#79
post #49

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.

I heard a law professor on NPR a few nights back saying how, at the executive level, the rule of law is dead and has been for some time. They cited Jan 6 but recognised how politically divisive that example was, so also gave the failure to enforce the TikTok ban as a less partisan example.

If you take your hands off the wheel you can go a surprisingly long time before you crash. This hands-free period will have to come to an end at some point.

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

#80

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.

"If a cop follows you for 500 miles, you're going to get a ticket". - Warren Buffet

'Show me the man, I’ll find you the crime'. - Lavrentiy Beria (Stalin secret police)

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