Overview
- Chipotle is testing a "Food Safety Risk Management Platform" developed by Palantir.
- This platform evaluates restaurants based on health inspections, pest reports, and employee illness data.
- Palantir, which was initially funded by In-Q-Tel, the CIA's venture capital branch, continues to derive a significant portion of its revenue from government contracts.
Chipotle has enlisted Palantir to create a system aimed at identifying potential health risks associated with its food. Palantir, known for its ties to intelligence agencies, is developing a "Food Safety Risk Management Platform" for the company.
Wired revealed that this platform utilizes Palantir's Foundry software, which consolidates various data sources into a single interface, allowing for comprehensive oversight. Chipotle has acknowledged the initiative.
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Laurie Schalow, Chipotle's chief corporate affairs and food safety officer, stated to Wired that the platform aims to offer a more reliable and centralized perspective on food safety risks across their locations. However, she did not provide details on the launch date, potential consumer data usage, the number of participating restaurants, or whether customers will ever view the risk scores.
Palantir is not merely another tech firm; it was co-founded in 2003 by Peter Thiel and received significant initial funding from In-Q-Tel, the CIA's venture capital arm, which was established to support startups that could benefit U.S. intelligence operations. The CIA was among Palantir's first clients.
Fast forward twenty years, and a substantial portion of Palantir's income still comes from government contracts, including a $175 million contract with the Army for an AI targeting system, and assisting Immigration and Customs Enforcement with its deportation tracking system called ImmigrationOS.
The FBI has also utilized Palantir's technology; a 2021 error allowed unauthorized FBI personnel to access private social media information of an imprisoned Ethereum researcher for over a year.
So why would a fast-food chain share sensitive employee health data with a company that primarily serves intelligence agencies? The answer lies in Palantir's extensive experience in applying its data analysis capabilities to conventional businesses as well. The firm has partnerships with major food corporations like Tyson, General Mills, and Wendy's, managing their inventory data. Chipotle is now among these clients.
This development raises questions for Chipotle employees, especially regarding whether their health records can be linked to their identities within the platform, if the data is anonymized, or how a negative assessment of a restaurant might be addressed.