In Australia, NDIS participants’ data may have ended up on Palantir’s platform
In Australia, the personal data of participants in the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) may have ended up on Palantir’s analytics platform as part of an interagency effort to combat fraud. This was reported by The Guardian.
Australia’s National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) denied using Palantir software last month. At the same time, the agency confirmed that it shares information about NDIS participants with partners in an interagency group on a limited basis when there is suspicion of possible criminal activity, in order to protect participants from fraud.
Interagency group
The Fraud Fusion Taskforce, established in 2022, brings together 25 government agencies and investigates fraud. It is led by the NDIA and Services Australia. The Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) is responsible for the Fraud Fusion Centre, which, according to documents obtained through freedom of information requests, collects large volumes of information, data and intelligence that may be important to the group’s work.
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According to The Guardian, the ACIC used Palantir as part of the group’s work. In recent years, the commission has entered into multimillion-dollar contracts with the company for software that identifies connections between people. The documents also point to capabilities for large-scale analysis and matching of data from the databases of agencies participating in the group.
Data request
Data researcher Gabrielle Gosling sought to obtain from the ACIC records concerning Fraud Fusion Taskforce or Fraud Fusion Centre data that had been uploaded to Palantir software. At the end of August, an officer considering the freedom of information request said there was reluctance to process it, as uploading one dataset from the centre to Palantir creates a volume of documents that would likely be difficult to process.
The ACIC said it uses a range of analytical tools and capabilities. The commission added that collected and stored data related to the group’s work are handled in accordance with restrictions agreed with the agency that provided them. Palantir said the company helps Australian government agencies address complex challenges, including combating serious financial crime and fraud.
