The Metropolitan Police are in talks to purchase artificial intelligence technology from controversial US firm Palantir to investigate crimes, sparking fierce opposition from civil liberties campaigners who warn it could create a "mass surveillance state".
The proposed deal would see Britain's largest police force adopt software already used by the National Crime Agency and Home Office. Palantir's technology collects, processes and analyses vast quantities of data from social media, police databases and government agencies.
Scotland Yard insists the AI system would enhance crime-fighting capabilities and make investigations more efficient. But privacy advocates fear the arrangement would hand Palantir access to highly sensitive personal information about ordinary citizens.
Liberty and Big Brother Watch have condemned the plans, highlighting risks to individual privacy and criticising the lack of transparency around the deal. The Met has refused to disclose financial terms or the technology's potential cost.
While Palantir claims its software improves public safety, critics argue it represents a dangerous expansion of state surveillance powers. The Met has promised a public consultation on the proposals, though campaigners dismiss this as inadequate given the scale of their concerns about mass data collection.