Sadiq Khan agrees to search of correspondence in dispute with Palantir
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has agreed to have his text messages and emails searched as part of a legal dispute with the American technology company Palantir. The lawsuit is linked to a decision to block a £50 million contract between the company and London police.
As The Guardian reports, a preliminary High Court hearing was told that Khan and more than a dozen officials from the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (Mopac) and the Greater London Authority should be included in the category of people whose digital communications will be searched.
Which correspondence will be searched
The search will cover emails, text messages, WhatsApp correspondence and Microsoft Teams chats, if such data exists. Messages relating to the subject of the dispute must be disclosed to Palantir after the search. The period to be covered by the search has not yet been determined.
In written submissions, Joseph Barrett, a representative of the mayor’s office, said Mopac initially did not consider including Khan in the list necessary or proportionate. It cited the fact that the decision was made by the deputy mayor for policing and crime, while documents the mayor might have had were likely also held by other officials. Mopac ultimately agreed to the search after persistent demands from Palantir.
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Reason for the legal dispute
The proposed two-year contract envisaged Palantir providing police with artificial intelligence technologies to automate the analysis of information in criminal investigations. In May, Khan intervened to block the deal.
Mopac, which oversees major Scotland Yard contracts, said there had been a “clear and serious breach” of procurement rules. According to the agency, police had seriously considered only one supplier — Palantir. After the deal’s blocking was announced, the company accused Khan of putting politics above public safety and in June said it intended to sue the mayor.
The correspondence of Khan’s former communications director, Sarah Brown, who moved in July to the position of communications director at Downing Street, will also be searched. Mopac confirmed that she initiated press briefings regarding the blocking of the deal. According to the publication, Mopac is also seeking Palantir’s internal documents related to the contract, while the company is reportedly resisting this.
