NHS to research Palantir influencer marketing campaign as doable contract breach

We are able to reveal that Palantir was required to however failed to hunt prior approval from NHS England (NHSE) for its marketing campaign to advertise its contract to run the Federated Knowledge Platform and temporary towards Good Regulation Undertaking. Now NHSE has confirmed to Bloomberg UK that will probably be investigating whether or not Palantir violated the contract phrases simply weeks after signing it.

A leaked briefing and emails from the marketing campaign exhibits that Palantir used Tory-linked PR company, Topham Guerin and advertising and marketing company, Disrupt, to approach social media influencers to ask them what they want to be paid to participate. This was finished at arms-length, with the briefing asking influencers to not point out Palantir of their content material.

The Federated Knowledge Platform contract was lastly printed on the final working day earlier than Christmas. Web page after web page of this three-part contract has been redacted – together with a bit on the safety of private knowledge.

However one of many sections we are able to really see – which covers ‘Publicity and Branding’ – states that Palantir is just not permitted to make use of the Authority’s title or model in any advertising and marketing or publicise the contract with out the prior written consent of NHS England. 

An NHS spokesperson informed Bloomberg that the NHS takes any potential breach of contract by a provider critically and is investigating what occurred.

“Palantir is just not – and albeit by no means has been – an organization that may be trusted with this nationally vital contract with our NHS” says Good Regulation Undertaking’s Govt Director, Jo Maugham.

“By its personal behaviour it’s telling us precisely that.”

“Inside weeks, it commissioned a covert smear marketing campaign towards a outstanding critic and seems to have damaged the phrases of that contract. If this Authorities gained’t act to guard the nationwide curiosity, the following one should.”

Responding to Bloomberg, Palantir has claimed that its marketing campaign was an “exploratory mission” so it didn’t must seek the advice of NHSE. Palantir’s Govt Vice President for UK and Europe, Louis Mosely stated, “We determined to not pursue the mission — as such, the marketing campaign was not mentioned with NHS England”.

However it’s clear that the marketing campaign did search to make use of the NHS title and model in advertising and marketing and publicized its settlement with the NHS.

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The marketing campaign supplies had been dated 28 November 2023, gave as a deadline 22 December and acknowledged “We’re on a good timeline for this one and would require a response as quickly as doable with content material going dwell earlier than the brand new yr”, so it’s clear that there was no intention to hunt the NHS England’s consent.

Palantir’s conduct in commissioning a covert, paid-for smear marketing campaign towards a outstanding critic; its determination to breach its contract with the NHS inside weeks of signing it; and subsequent dissembling about its intention to breach, will serve to substantiate the issues of those that imagine Palantir was an entity that ought by no means to have been given the contract within the first place.

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