Calls for Transparent Rules on Public Data Platforms in Portugal

The Sociedade Civil’s early-year question about a possible Portuguese "black box" data platform with Palantir remains unanswered, and no public contract has been located. While purchases can be hidden through integrators, the core issue is the lack of guiding rules for future public data platforms, typically supplied via consulting partners such as Madrid-based Igeneris, which opened a Lisbon office in 2025. Several European countries have recently restricted Palantir over concerns that U.S. law could expose sensitive data, with France, Germany, Spain and Switzerland taking various actions.

The UK’s NHS illustrates how a symbolic £1 contract in 2020 grew into a £330 million deal, highlighting the risk of incremental expansion. The piece stresses that data platforms are never neutral, especially when led by figures like Peter Thiel and Alex Karp, whose political views influence governance. In Portugal, no public debate, CNCS assessment, CNPD opinion or parliamentary discussion has yet occurred, prompting the authors to suggest four safeguards: disclosure of vendor contacts, prior CNCS/CNPD review when databases are merged, pre-signed exit clauses, and a preference for European solutions to safeguard sovereignty.