USA Today employees oppose Palantir partnership
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The gist
800 USA Today employees urged the company to end its Palantir partnership. The deal threatens reader trust and data security.
Background
USA Today Co. (formerly Gannett) announced a partnership with Palantir, an AI-powered data-mining company, to monetize reader data and gain 'actionable intelligence' on audiences. The announcement drew immediate backlash from unionized journalists, who cited Palantir's work with ICE, the Department of Defense, and the Israeli military, and raised concerns about reader privacy and journalistic independence.
How it unfolded
- Aug 9, 2026USA Today announced a partnership with Palantir to use its AI platform to gain 'actionable intelligence' on readers.
- Aug 10, 2026Thirty-one unions representing more than 800 employees released an open letter calling on the company to end the partnership, citing ethical issues with Palantir's surveillance and immigration enforcement work.
- Aug 11, 2026Media outlets reported on the backlash, with employees at major papers like The Indianapolis Star, The Arizona Republic, and the Detroit Free Press joining the protest.
- Aug 14, 2026Columbia Journalism Review noted that USA Today Co. leadership had yet to directly address the concerns raised by the letter.
Who’s saying what
- Employees
- The partnership threatens to undermine trust in our news outlets and raises serious questions about the data security of our readers.
- Company
- The agreement is a business decision focused on strengthening how we connect and better serve audiences, advertisers, and subscribers; our data remains protected and journalism remains independent.
Still unverified
The claim that Palantir's AI could be used to surveil American citizens and target dissidents is speculative and attributed to technologists and former employees, not confirmed.