Episode 1 - The Influencer Campaign (Palantir and NHS Data)

About this episode

A covert influencer campaign reveals how a powerful tech company tried to shape the public debate around its £330m NHS data deal. In the opening episode of The Shadow Contract, an email lands in the inbox of a healthcare campaigner. At first it seems routine – a marketing agency asking influencers to post about NHS data. But when the full proposal arrives, something far more troubling becomes clear. Behind the campaign is Palantir, the controversial data analytics company awarded a £330m contract to run the NHS’s Federated Data Platform. And the strategy appears designed to discredit critics without revealing who is really behind the messaging. Through interviews with doctors, campaigners and experts, we reveal how a covert influencer campaign attempted to reshape the public debate around one of the biggest NHS data deals in history. But this story is about far more than social media. It raises urgent questions about transparency, corporate influence and who should control the infrastructure behind Britain’s most sensitive health data. Because when powerful companies try to influence the conversation in secret, trust becomes the first casualty. The Shadow Contract is pr