Version 1: Thu, July 30, 2026
.jpg#/media/File:Pedro_S%C3%A1nchez_2026_Portrait_(3x4_cropped).jpg)
Official
portrait of Pedro Sánchez in February 2026 - By Ministry of the
Presidency. Government of Spain, Attribution,
Link
Earlier this year the government of Spain directed a number of companies backed by SEPI, a state-owned holding company, not to sign new contracts with Palantir.
Among the companies involved the following have significant present in Latin America:
| Country | Business Activity |
|---|---|
| Telefonica | Brazil |
| Navantia | Brazil, Chile |
| Indra | Brazil, Argentina, Peru, Colombia |
The decision by the government in Spain follows similar decisions in France, Germany and as we have posted recently in Switzerland.
News stories point to concerns about national security (Cradle 2026) (Bicer 2026). Here we speculate about a business angle for the decision.
Last November the US government published the new National Security Strategy document (NSS 2025). Latin America is part of the “Western Hemisphere” section of the document in which we read (emphasis added):
After years of neglect, the United States will reassert and enforce the Monroe Doctrine to restore American preeminence in the Western Hemisphere, and to protect our homeland and our access to key geographies throughout the region. We will deny non-Hemispheric competitors the ability to position forces or other threatening capabilities, or to own or control strategically vital assets, in our Hemisphere. This “Trump Corollary” to the Monroe Doctrine is a common-sense and potent restoration of American power and priorities, consistent with American security interests.
and it continues later on:
Successfully protecting our Hemisphere also requires closer collaboration between the U.S. Government and the American private sector. All our embassies must be aware of major business opportunities in their country, especially major government contracts. Every U.S. Government official that interacts with these countries should understand that part of their job is to help American companies compete and succeed.
The U.S. Government will identify strategic acquisition and investment opportunities for American companies in the region and present these opportunities for assessment by every U.S. Government financing program […]
After reading this passage would anybody be surprised if a US Embassy “official” was arrested “gathering information” from an electronics firm? Which brings us back to Palantir.
The Swiss rejected Palantir’s advances because “seasoned cryptologists” had reservations about security.of the data.
In addition there are legal, for US, ways to get access to the data, Cloud Act and FISA.
And of course we should remember Palantir is closed-source software so we can not ignore the possibility of “un-documented features” that allow the powers that be un-authorize access.
Suspecting Palantir software is being used in industrial espionage is definitely par for the course.
And not just Spanish companies mind you (Malta 2025):
Dassault, Airbus, and Indra, for example, are jointly developing a military aircraft under the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) program.
All in all kudos to Spanish PM Pedro Sánchez and his government!
Information
(Cradle 2026) Spain blacklists Palantir over domestic security concerns https://thecradle.co/articles/spain-blacklists-palantir-over-domestic-security-concerns The Cradle - Jul 2, 2026 - Archive https://archive.is/XQUIi
(Bicer 2026) Spain tells state-backed firms to avoid new Palantir contracts amid national security concerns https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/spain-tells-state-backed-firms-to-avoid-new-palantir-contracts-amid-national-security-concerns/3983804 by Aysu Bicer - Anadolu - 02 July 2026 - Archive https://archive.ph/GHLHc
(Malta 2025) Indra expands military technology business amid wars, new threats: Spanish group negotiating acquisitions of defense, air control companies in Brazil https://valorinternational.globo.com/business/news/2025/09/08/indra-expands-military-technology-business-amid-wars-and-new-threats.ghtml By Cynthia Malta - Valor Interational - Sep 8, 2025 - Archive https://archive.ph/XPUE2
(NSS 2025) https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/2025-National-Security-Strategy.pdf National Security Strategy of the United States of America - November 2025 - PDF 33 pages.
SEPI - Sociedad Estatal de Participaciones Industriales (SEPI) https://www.sepi.es/en
Fundación SEPI organizes its first Summer Course with AI and digital sovereignty as its central axes https://www.sepi.es/en/press-room/news/fundacion-sepi-organizes-its-first-summer-course-ai-and-digital-sovereignty-its - Spanish
Earlier on this blog:
NSS, Drugs and Technocracy in Latin America https://metagora.blogspot.com/2026/02/nss-drugs-and-marco-rubio.html - 2e - Fri, May 8, 2026
Techno Update - Palantir’s Swiss Rebuff https://metagora.blogspot.com/2026/07/techno-update-palantirs-swiss-rebuff.html - Fri, Jul 10, 2026
Theatre
of Mérida, Spain - By
Benjamín
Núñez González - Own
work,
CC
BY-SA 4.0,
Link
Started: Thu, July 30, 2026
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