A Guide To Technological Surveillance And The Masters Of Our Data.
The master of the rings, Palantir, and his younger sister, Athea
Since last year, a French company has been the first sovereign solution in Europe for processing big data for vital states and operators.
The launch of Athea, a joint venture created around two French groups that are world leaders in high technology, Thales and Atos, as part of a general move to regain control of data and process it with local tools, in France, the most strong supporter of Europe’s strategic autonomy, according to Politico.
In 2019, three weeks after President Macron called for European digital sovereignty over China and the United States, French Internal Intelligence Agency (DGSI) chief Nicolas Lerner campaigned for “home” technology and support for local producers.
The moment was not accidental. In the absence of a French alternative, the DGSI contract with the American company Palantir concluded after the Charlie Hebdo attacks, had just been renewed for another three years.
The presence of a sensitive actor like Palantir at the heart of the French intelligence system has caused concern from government institutions and intelligence services, all calling for the abandonment of sovereignty and all agreeing…
