Controversial tech firm Palantir is reportedly building a data tool to help US authorities allocate COVID-19 vaccines
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Data-analytics firm Palantir, which has drawn fire from human rights groups for its US government contracts, is reportedly working on a tool to help local authorities decide where to distribute COVID-19 vaccines.
The Wall Street Journal reported the news on Thursday, citing state and local health officials briefed on the project. Palantir did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.
The software Palantir is developing is called Tiberius, and it will pool coronavirus data to help officials where to allocate vaccines, the Journal reported. It could show, for example, areas with high proportions of healthcare workers, clinically vulnerable people, or elderly people.Palantir, which was cofounded by Silicon Valley mogul and vocal Trump-supporter Peter Thiel, has been criticized in the past for its contracts with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
A document created by Palantir about Tiberius, seen by the Journal, said it would "integrate a wide range of demographic, employment, and public health data sets to identify the location of priority populations."Combined with infection data, the idea is the tool will enable local officials to "proactively identify distribution bottlenecks, inventory constraints, and gaps in administration across key populations," the document said.
Another of Palantir's services, calledCopyright © 2021. Times Internet Limited. All rights reserved.For reprint rights. Times Syndication Service.
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