Recent reports have sparked alarm over the Trump administration’s alleged efforts to expand government surveillance capabilities, potentially enabling unprecedented tracking of American citizens.

According to an MSNBC article published on May 30, 2025, titled “Trump appears to be building an unprecedented spy machine that could track Americans,” the administration is channeling significant resources into projects that could compromise individual privacy.

At the heart of these concerns is the administration’s partnership with Palantir, a controversial tech company known for its data analytics capabilities.

MSNBC reports, citing a New York Times investigation, that the Trump administration has awarded contracts worth hundreds of millions of dollars to Palantir.

These contracts involve deploying Palantir’s Foundry platform across at least four federal agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Health and Human Services Department.

Foundry is designed to organize and analyze vast datasets, enabling the government to merge information from various agencies to create detailed profiles of individuals.

The MSNBC article highlights that this system could theoretically be used to “track or persecute” Americans by compiling sensitive data, such as bank account numbers, student debt amounts, medical claims, and disability statuses.

Democratic lawmakers and critics have warned that such capabilities could be weaponized to advance political agendas, including targeting immigrants or punishing critics of the administration.

The White House and Palantir have not commented directly on these allegations, with Palantir referring to a blog post stating that organizations licensing its products control how their data is used.

The MSNBC report also ties Palantir’s involvement to the Trump administration’s mass deportation plans.

Palantir CEO Alex Karp, in a statement to investors, described the company’s work as dedicated to “the service of the West and the United States of America,” emphasizing its role in “disrupting” and, when necessary, “scaring” or “killing” enemies.

These remarks have raised concerns about the ethical implications of entrusting vast amounts of American data to a company with such aggressive rhetoric.

MSNBC notes that Karp’s comments do not inspire confidence in responsible data handling, especially given the potential for misuse in politically charged initiatives like mass deportations.

The MSNBC article situates these developments within a broader context of heightened surveillance under the Trump administration.

It references a 2023 interview with surveillance and privacy expert Albert Fox Cahn, who discussed how technologies like those employed by Palantir could enable intrusive monitoring.

For example, internet search histories and geolocation data could be used to track individuals’ activities, such as visits to facilities providing abortions, raising fears of surveillance being used to enforce restrictive policies.

Additionally, other sources corroborate concerns about the administration’s surveillance ambitions.

A Wired article from December 2024 notes that the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) passed without provisions to limit the scope of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), potentially granting the Trump administration expanded authority to surveil communications involving Americans.

Privacy advocates have expressed alarm over the lack of safeguards, especially given Trump’s history of targeting political opponents.