Palantir, The Palantir Platform: The Platform for Information Analysis , no date. Not classified.
National Security Archive
A 2000s Palantir sales brochure reveals how a Silicon Valley startup packaged open‑API analytics as the secret‑service’s new collaborative workspace.
Source: Palantir, The Palantir Platform: The Platform for Information Analysis , no date. Not classified. Archive: Wikileaks.
Editorial Analysis
Original analysis by the DriftSeas editorial desk. The complete primary-source document, transcribed from the National Security Archive scan, appears in full below.
The Palantir Platform as a Public‑Facing Pitch
The document presented is a self‑descriptive brochure for Palantir Technologies’ flagship software, the Palantir Platform. It reads like a sales deck aimed at potential government customers, especially within the U.S. intelligence community. The language—"enterprise‑grade dataspace," "collaborative and secure functionality," and "open API"—is deliberately crafted to reassure bureaucratic buyers that the system can handle classified workloads while still offering the flexibility prized by Silicon Valley developers. The emphasis on a "human‑in‑the‑loop" model reflects Palantir’s founding myth: a 2004 venture that married the pattern‑recognition strengths of analysts with the brute‑force data‑processing power of modern computers.
The timing of this material is significant. By the late 2000s Palantir had already secured high‑profile contracts with the CIA’s venture arm In-Q‑Tel and the Department of Defense’s Joint Special Operations Command. The brochure’s focus on "client‑server" architecture, "limitless" user numbers, and "graph" and "map" applications mirrors the functional requirements that emerged from the post‑9/11 intelligence reforms—namely, the need to fuse disparate data streams (financial records, travel manifests, communications metadata) into a single, searchable environment. The screenshots of a graph linking personal identifiers and a map overlay of geospatial searches illustrate exactly the kind of link‑analysis that the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) was demanding after the 2004 Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act.
The Silicon Valley‑Intelligence Interface
Palantir’s narrative positions itself as a bridge between two cultures that historically mistrusted each other. The claim that openness is "standard operating procedure in Silicon Valley" but "revolutionary" for intelligence agencies is a calculated self‑portrait: the company casts its engineers as innovators who can inject commercial best practices into a secretive bureaucratic world. This framing is not merely marketing rhetoric; it reveals how Palantir sought to legitimize its role in classified environments without the usual security‑clearance constraints that hampered other contractors. By offering an "entirely open API," Palantier promised that other government developers could extend the platform without waiting for proprietary updates—a promise that resonated with agencies eager to avoid vendor lock‑in.
The document’s internal screenshots—showing a mock analyst named Marcus Long with personal data fields, a graph of entity relationships, and a map with polygon searches—are more than decorative. They demonstrate the platform’s capacity to ingest and visualize the exact kinds of data that fuel modern surveillance: email addresses, phone numbers, geographic coordinates, and financial transactions. The inclusion of a "Currency Amount: Exact Match" field and a "MGRS" (Military Grid Reference System) coordinate box signals that the platform was already being tailored for law‑enforcement and military use cases, where precision matters.
Why the Brochure Still Matters
Although the text itself is unclassified, its existence in a public archive underscores a broader shift in U.S. national security procurement. The early 2000s saw a move away from monolithic, in‑house systems toward commercially developed, agile software that could be rapidly updated. Palantir’s platform epitomized that shift, and the brochure captures the moment when a private startup began to speak the language of the intelligence community as fluently as any legacy contractor.
The legacy of this document is evident in today’s debates over data privacy, algorithmic bias, and the outsized influence of tech firms on government surveillance. Palantir’s own trajectory—from a classified‑contractor to a publicly traded company—has been shaped by the same promises articulated here: scalability, collaboration, and openness. Critics argue that the very openness the brochure touts can mask opaque decision‑making within algorithms, while supporters point to the platform’s ability to surface hidden connections that might prevent terrorist attacks.
In sum, the brochure is a snapshot of a pivotal moment when the United States began to outsource its most sensitive analytical capabilities to a Silicon Valley firm. It reveals how Palantir marketed its technology as both a security solution and a cultural bridge, and it foreshadows the ongoing tension between technological innovation and democratic oversight that continues to define the national‑security landscape.
Palantir Technologies The Palantir Platform The Platform for Information Analysis
Palantir Technologies Company Background
Palantir Technologies was founded in 2004 based on a simple idea – that the human mind is the most effective way to identify patterns in information while computers are the most effective way to manage enormous amounts of data. By identifying the sweet spot where humans are able to fully leverage their intellect against the computational power of an analytical software platform, it becomes possible to revolutionize our ability to perform analysis.
From this simple idea was born the Palantir Platform, an end-to-end solution for the performance of analysis.
Palantir Technologies An Enterprise Solution
The Palantir Platform
From its inception, the Palantir Platform was designed as an enterprise solution to the analytical needs of the intelligence community.
To that end, Palantir employs a Client–Server model knitting together a practically limitless number of users into a single enterprise-grade dataspace. Here analysts and operators can work together to explore, discover and create the intelligence necessary to excel at their tactical and strategic tasks. Only an enterprise solution is capable of delivering this truly collaborative and secure functionality.
Palantir Technologies A Silicon Valley Approach Openness and Extensibility Before a single line of code was written, the Palantir Platform was designed to be open, exposing numerous points for integration and extensibility including an entirely open API (Application Programming Interface) While being open is considered Standard Operating Procedure in Silicon Valley, it is a revolutionary idea in the field of intelligence. Ultimately, as has been proven time-and-time-again, openness leads to better solutions by combining the vast expertise and interests of broader communities to solve complex problems. An example of this approach is the Palantir Workspace which is divided into two primary functional units: Applications and Helpers. Applications are used to perform large analytical tasks such as link analysis, persistent searching or geospatial analysis. Helpers operate against the data in a given Application to assist in specific analytical processes such as statistical analysis, filtered searching or temporal analysis. Most importantly, the Application and Helper framework is extensible so that any organization or integrator can build what they need for their workflows. The Application Bar Histogram Presentation Filters The Helper Tabs
Palantir Technologies Analysis – The Graph
The Graph Application
The Graph is one of the native applications in the Palantir Platform. It provides a space for performing link analysis and is one of the most critical applications for communicating analytical conclusions. The graph is fully interactive and can be used both to explore and create connections. The graph is equipped with a host of automated layout and presentation tools including a dedicated Presentation Helper.
add new color change types quick jump pin unpin auto grid circular snap snapshot flows entity resolution select Marcus Long Address: 52 Highland Lakes Road, San Francisco, CA 94536 US Email: michael.long@hotmail.com Name: Marcus Long Phone Number: +1-415-342-1953 Histogram History Snapshot Show All By Default Object Types Entity Types (2/2) show more / less / all / none All Entities 16 Person 16 Entity Properties Address: City State Match (4/4) show more / less / all / none SAN FRANCISCO, CA US 6 OAKLAND, CA US 2 PITTSBURG, CA US 2 SAN LEANDRO, CA US 2 Email: Domain Match (2/2) show more / less / all / none @HOTMAIL.COM 11 @YAHOO.COM 2 Nationality (3/3) show more / less / all / none US 10 DE 3 AU 2 Phone Number: +1-555-xxx-xxxx (... show more / less / all / none +1-415-xxxxxxx 6 +1-510-xxxxxxx 5 +1-650-xxxxxxx 2 Event Properties Currency Amount: Exact Match (1/1) show more / less / all / none total 1,000.00 2 Phone Number: Exact Match (4/4) show more / less / all / none +1-925-950-6905 20 +1-408-498-8346 3 +1-415-174-9427 2 +1-415-964-4993 2 Phone Number: +1-555-555-xxxx (... show more / less / all / none +1-925-950-xxxx 20 +1-408-498-xxxx 3 +1-415-174-xxxx 2 +1-415-964-xxxx 2 Phone Number: +1-555-xxx-xxxx (... show more / less / all / none +1-925-xxxxxxx 20 +1-415-xxxxxxx 8 +1-510-xxxxxxx 5 History Timeline *actual screen shot
Palantir Technologies Analysis – The Map
The Map Application
In version 2.1, a Map Application was added as a native application in the Palantir Platform. This application allows for geospatial analysis, geo-searching and geo-referencing. The Map can operate using any enterprise tile source. Once constructed, a geospatial search can be added to any filter search and then persisted allowing for the constant monitoring of a n Area of Interest.
radius polygon route recent Polygon Search Search Settings 12 points, perimeter 140.66km
- 10S EG 79295 60041
- 10S EG 80695 54349
- 10S EG 80457 68953
- 10S EG 69659 69314
- 10S EG 69708 79483
- 10S EG 80829 77494
- 10S EG 86847 50876
- 10S EG 94171 47420 Format: MGRS MGRS: Filters Edit Date Range: All Object Types: All Property Types: All Click to draw polygon Search Save
Search within 6 vertex polygon No results (search was not executed) Search within 12.05km of 10S EG 40883 56861 No results (search was not executed) Search within 1700.00m of 7 vertex route No results (search was not executed) Search within 18 vertex polygon Object Type: Ground Travel Searched 13:25 today 0 results Search within 18 vertex polygon Searched 13:25 today 0 results
Map Options Filters Imagery Source: NASA Filters Object Types 8/8 objects Commercial Organization 1 Location 7 All None Property Types 8/8 properties Event Title 2 Location Name 6 All None Labels Show object icon Show property icon Show object label Show property label
Treasure Island Oakland International Airport SFO Flight to Denver San Mateo Bridge 10S EH 08420 09544
Timeline Show legend Show All Hide All Event Title Location Name Showing Wed 19, Nov, 2008, 11 am... ...through Thu 27, Nov, 2008, 5pm Thu 20 Fri 21 Sat 22 Sun 23 Mon 24 Tue 25 Wed 26 Thu 27 History Snapshot (08:00) America/Los_Angeles
*actual screen shot
Palantir Technologies Analysis – The Browser
The Browser Application
The Browser is a native application designed to interact with both structured and unstructured data. Any object can be 'opened' in a Browser tab so that all its properties, notes, media, relationships and data sources can be instantly viewed. The Browser also provides a space for reading unstructured documents and assigning structure to them using a process called 'tagging'.
MIKE FIKRI MIKE FIKRI Type: Person Created: 2008/03/06 13:23:25 -08:00 ID: 11621033823492672 No updates 5 changes Copy Dossier View Permissions Delete Record
Summary Properties Notes & Media Related Info History
Properties Type Value Address 159 Kathrynn St, Daly City, CA 94710 US 19439 SE 14th Street, Livermore, CA 94550-... Email mifikri@yahoo.com Name M F Mike Fikri محمد فكري Nationality Y Phone Number +1-925-950-4901 +1-925-950-4905
Related Events Type Relationship Label Phone Call (25) Payment (2)
Related Entities No entities are associated Click here to add.
Related Documents 1 related document 316-451252-04.txt
Notes Time Created Title Created By 4 Weeks ago (1) Physical Note David Kyo
Media mike fikri3.jpg mfikri-print... surveillance...
316-451252-04.txt FROM: CAIRO TO: HQ DATE: JA
Tag as... Object Label: MIKE FIKRI Type: Person Property Type: Phone Number Value: 925-950-4905 Edit Details Current selection only Tag Cancel Press CTRL+Enter to accept default tag
- ACTIO
- ASSET CT BLUE MEET WITH 3 INDIVIDUALS AT A 'CHARITY EVENT' FOR THE AL-MUHJA CHARITY IN MAADI. AL-MUHJA CHARITY IS SUSPECTED OF TERRORIST FINANCING. 3.INFORMATION ON 3 INDIVIDUALS MET BY CT BLUE: MIKE FIKRI 925-950-4905 OMAR ATARJI OMAR.ATARJI@AOL.COM SALAH SALEH 123 FOREST AVE, PALO ALTO, CA 94301
- CT BLUE BELIEVES AL-MUHJA MAY BE TARGETING A U.S. CITY END
Histogram History Snapshot Show All By Default Document Entity References From 1 Document - Showing 6 out of 6 references Sort By Frequency show mass / less / all / none CT BLUE 3 OMAR ATARJI 2 Omar Atarji (Name) 1 omar.atarji@aol.com (Email) 1 AL-MUHJA CHARITY 1 MUHJA CHARITY 1 MIKE FIKRI 1 SALAH SALEH 1
actual screen shot
Palantir Technologies Analysis – Other Applications
The Dashboard, Data Sources and Summary
The other native Applications in the Palantir Platform are the Dashboard, Data Sources and Summary.
The Dashboard operates like an analyst’s homepage and is the first place an analyst sees when they log into the client. The Dashboard provides a space for the management of investigations and the construction of persistent searches. Persistent searches are queries that run constantly against the enterprise data store so that whenever new data enters the system it is included in the updated query results.
Data Sources provides a high level review of all the data ingested by the Palantir Enterprise. All data sources can be explored here and through the use of collections, data sources can be organized.
Summary provides functionality for rapidly producing reports based on the work accomplished during an investigation. By leveraging the investigation history, important graph states can be quickly collated into a PowerPoint presentation that can be instantly exported to rapidly produce a brief. This automated report generation displays not just analytic conclusions, but also the analytic path that led to them.
*actual screen shot
Palantir Technologies The Four Pillars of the Palantir Platform
Data Integration In order to explore lots of data, it is first necessary to bring that data into a single environment where it can be accessed. Palantir can import data from structured sources (DBs, .xls, csv, .anb, .axp...) unstructured sources (.doc, .pdf, .txt, .xml...) as well as federating against external data stores where direct ingest is not an option. In addition, Media (images, video, bio-metrics...) can be associated with any object.
Search & Discovery Once data has been integrated into the Palantir Platform, it is only useful in so far as it can be explored. To that end, the platform provides a host of approaches for searching into the data in an intuitive and human readable fashion that requires no knowledge of query languages. All data in the system is searched simultaneously which naturally leads to the discovery of links and connections that would have otherwise been missed.
Collaboration As new information is discovered, it is important that this information is available to other users as though it were any other data source. Palantir utilizes a revolutionary 'version control' model to simultaneously enable broad collaboration as well as individual control of data. Analysts are presented with a virtual private space in which to explore their conjectures which they can then 'publish' to the broader enterprise when they are ready.
Knowledge Management One of the core technologies of the Palantir Platform is the Revisioning Database which tracks all information in the Palantir environment. This tracking occurs at a very fine-grained level where we track the source of all information, when it was created and by whom. This enables collaboration, search & discovery and data integration by allowing analysts to see who is doing what in their enterprise as well as allowing data to be explored along many different paths.
Palantir Technologies Enabling Technologies
The Palantir Object Model
Palantir employs a highly flexible Object Model which is capable of modeling almost any organizational data model. The Palantir Object Model consists of Objects, Properties and Relationships. Objects are containers which hold Properties. Relationships are the connections between Objects. An example of an Object, Property and Relationship would be a Person, a Person's Name and Friendship respectively. Each Property and Relationship can be sourced back to original document sources, either structured or unstructured.
Data Sources Object Properties Relationship Object Properties
The Dynamic Ontology
Due to the flexible structure of the Object Model, it is possible to use the Palantir Dynamic Ontology to create almost any organizational data model. The Dynamic Ontology is the way to describe what is important to an organization. Palantir does not assume to know how any organization would like to model its information. Rather, Palantir provides an interface to create whatever semantics are useful to the analytic task. The Ontology is entirely customizable and can actually be changed after it has been deployed and data has been integrated.
Palantir Technologies Enabling Technologies cont...
The Revisioning Database
Palantir employs a revolutionary database structure referred to as the Revisioning Database for storing all information introduced to the enterprise. In this structure, every object in Palantir can be thought of as a stack of cards describing all the attributes of those objects. Each card describes the addition, modification or deletion of a single attribute along with when it happened, who did it, what the security level is and where the information is sourced to. This structure allows for any object to be 're-shuffled' along almost any analytical axis enabling secure collaboration.
update: 1 Name: Jason Address: 444 The St. City, CA 99999 Main Phone:
update: 2 Address: 444 The St. City, CA 99999 Main Phone: 532
update: 3 Name: Jason Williams Address: 444 The St. City, CA 99999 Main Phone: 532.421.9876
Metadata update: 3 updated: 9/23/06 5:32 pm agent: Todd Perry (FBI) investigation: NY Drug Ring ... update: 2 updated: 8/12/06 1:02 pm agent: Gordon Schlosberg... investigation: SF Weapons... ... update: 1 updated: 8/11/06 9:22 am agent: David Carlisle (FBI)
Collaboration with Security
It may seem paradoxical at first, but the more that information can be effectively secured, the more it can be effectively shared. The Security Model enabled in Palantir is the most sophisticated and flexible approach to information security in the Intelligence Community. Through rich knowledge management and automated information sourcing, Palantir is able to track the security/classifications associated with every shred of information. By leveraging this extremely fine-grained model, it becomes possible to share as much information as could possibly be shared without revealing the most sensitive information except to those with the permission to see it.
Palantir Technologies Other Palantir User Interfaces
PalantirWeb and Palantir Forward
In addition to the standard client, Palantir can also be operated via a read-only web client (PalantirWeb) and via a re-syncable stand-alone client (Palantir Forward).
In addition to the Client-Server architecture described previously, it is also possible to interact with a Palantir deployment via Palantir Web. Palantir Web is a light weight, high performance web client that allows for the secure, read-only exploration of all data in an Enterprise with both simple keyword and advanced filter searching.
The Palantir client can also operate in a stand-alone mode referred to as Palantir Forward. As the name suggests Palantir Forward allows analysts/operators to take their investigations forward, copying the portion of the database relevant to that investigation to their local machine. When the analyst/operator returns home, they re-sync their investigation with the enterprise so no information is lost.
Palantir Web Relevance Search Logged in as Asher Sinensky (LDAP) (ldap\asinensky) Filter Search | Logout Print this page Palantir Technologies Commercial Organization ID: 1180903655903644116 Created by: Administrator Account Open in Palantir Workspace Properties Address Palo Alto, CA US 100 Hamilton Ave., Suite 300, Palo Alto, CALIFORNIA 94301 US Keywords Palantir Property Address: Address = Palo alto Object type = Commercial Organization: include subtypes Begin date: End date:
Palantir Technologies Administration – Palantir Portal
The Palantir Portal
The Palantir Portal is an administrative interface which allows an organization to monitor their entire Palantir Enterprise. The Portal monitors system and usage analytics and provides an extensible 'portlet' framework so that new metrics can be easily added to the already existing ones.
Palantir Portal About Settings Administration Monitoring PEM Servers PEM DISPATCH Welcome Administrator Account, Logout PEM Configuration Manager DispatchServer.8ceda1d1-930d-4b5f-9ecc-b48c60de7306 Palantir DispatchServer.8ceda1d1-930d-4b5f-9ecc-b48c60de7306 Monitored data for server: DispatchServer.8ceda1d1-930d-4b5f-9ecc-b48c60de7306 Monitored Data (Show) FreePhysicalMemorySize 500,000,000 250,000,000 14:00 16:00 18:00 20:00 22:00 00:00 02:00 04:00 06:00 08:00 10:00 12:00 PEM DISPATCH Alerts Palantir History Active Inactive Disabled All Alert Event History Monitoring servers DispatchServer.8ceda1d1-930d-4b5f-9ecc-b48c60de7306, DispatchServer.29303cf7-d776-42e7-b3be-80dbbb863e7e Type Alert Servers Time Alert 2 Alert Triggered DispatchServer.29303cf7-d776-42e7-b3be-80dbbb863e7e Wednesday 1pm Alert 2 Alert Reset DispatchServer.29303cf7-d776-42e7-b3be-80dbbb863e7e Wednesday 1pm Alert 2 Alert Triggered DispatchServer.29303cf7-d776-42e7-b3be-80dbbb863e7e Wednesday 1pm Alert 2 Alert Added DispatchServer.29303cf7-d776-42e7-b3be-80dbbb863e7e Wednesday 1pm Show 5 First Previous 1 - 4 of 4 Next Last
The Portal has an extensible system of alerts and warnings which will instantly contact system administrators if any aspect of the enterprise crosses a threshold including server and usage metrics.
Palantir Technologies Additional Resources
- Sample Workflows:
- Technical White Videos
- Operation Trade Stop
- Project GreyGoose
NATIONAL SECURITY ARCHIVE
National Security Archive, Suite 701, Gelman Library, The George Washington University, 2130 H Street, NW, Washington, D.C., 20037, Phone: 202/994-7000, Fax: 202/994-7005, nsarchiv@gwu.edu