The 404 Media Podcast

Episode: Here’s What Palantir Is Really Building

Date: January 21, 2026
Hosts: Joseph, Sam, Emanuel, Jason

Episode Overview

This episode dives into two major 404 Media investigations:

1. Palantir’s new "Elite" tool being used by ICE for immigration raids—detailing what this tool actually does, how it works, its data sources, and the real-world impact.
2. Instagram’s latest "meta": AI Influencers fabricating sex scandals involving celebrities—an exploration into how generative AI is warping internet fame and monetization, and the legal/ethical fallout.

Original, incisive reporting and candid discussion reveal how cutting-edge technology is shaping real lives and legal frameworks.

Segment 1: Palantir and ICE—What Is the "Elite" Tool?

[02:12 – 18:10]

Background & Reporting Lineage

• 404 Media has extensively reported on ICE’s use of surveillance technology and its close, evolving partnership with Palantir.
• The new story uncovers a tool called "Elite" (Enhanced Leads Identification and Targeting for Enforcement)—a previously opaque piece of the ICE puzzle.

Quote (Joseph, 04:24):
"This story, I think is the clearest example yet of what Palantir is building and what ICE is actually doing on the ground. It is clear that this tool is part of ICE's mass deportation effort."

What Is "Elite"?

• Elite is an app that allows ICE agents to:
  • Draw a shape on a digital map to select a neighborhood.
  • Instantly view all "targets" (ICE’s internal term) within the selected area, complete with dossiers:
    • Name, date of birth
    • Photograph (if available)
    • Last known/verified address
    • "Address confidence score" (e.g. 88.2/100)—indicates reliability and recency of address data, a critical asset for ICE.
• Supervisors can approve mass operations; data is easily exported for planning raids.

Quote (Joseph, 05:24):
"It's meant to be basically the entire life cycle from, well, let's find a neighborhood... okay, let’s find who lives there... let’s get a list... have a supervisor approve... then go out."

Data Sources Exposed

• User guide reveals that the tool pulls addresses from:
  • Department of Health (unexpected, typically not assumed to feed into immigration enforcement)
  • USCIS (part of DHS)
  • Thomson Reuters’ CLEAR data product (not to be confused with the airport security company)—a major commercial data provider with substantial government contracts.
  • Other possible sources mentioned but not confirmed (e.g., IRS leaks reported in past stories).

Quote (Joseph, 09:05):
"A lot of people aren't going to assume that data from the Health Department is going to be used for immigration enforcement, but obviously, this is a different world now."

Real-World Case Study: Oregon

• Testimony in an Oregon court case (MJMA v. U.S.):
  • A woman swept up in an ICE raid alongside 30 others; ICE officials described in detail how Elite guided them to densely populated complexes with high concentrations of suspected undocumented immigrants.
  • This legal transcript, obtained by 404 Media at significant cost (testament to the independent, reader-funded journalism model), provided rare direct insight from government officials themselves.

Quote (Joseph, 12:24):
"Density of potential targets. That’s absolutely it... There are questions as to how reliable the data is... but they have a lot of data to go on and that’s what they’re using it for."

Proving the Palantir Connection

• No explicit Palantir branding in the user guide.
• Connection established by matching the "Enhanced Leads Identification and Targeting for Enforcement" phrase from the guide with a multimillion-dollar Palantir government contract.
• Evidence Palantir is configuring and possibly building Elite, but unknown if they are the sole developers.

Quote (Joseph, 14:49):
"The only result on the Internet at the time... was an additional piece of information in a Palantir contract... I think the connection is pretty clear."

Takeaways & Implications

• ICE’s mass-deportation workflow is now tightly integrated with Palantir’s software.
• The story establishes, with new clarity, the direct relationship between Silicon Valley surveillance tech and aggressive on-the-ground law enforcement, especially as U.S. immigration policy continues to evolve.
• Questions raised about future data sources, ongoing expansion, and civil liberties.

Quote (Joseph, 16:48):
"This is the clearest link between the company and what is actually happening. It’s the user guide, it’s the testimony from Oregon, it’s the public procurement records... a combination of all those things."

Segment 2: Viral AI Influencers and Fabricated Celebrity Sex Scandals

[22:42 – 42:41]

Introduction: The Rise of AI-Generated Scandal

• AI-generated influencer accounts are rampant on Instagram, using hyper-real images/videos to fake romantic and sexual encounters with celebrities—e.g., a woman in a courtside selfie with LeBron James, then both in bed together in the next frame.

Quote (Emanuel, 23:19):
"You will see a very realistic looking image of a woman courtside at a basketball game, taking a selfie with LeBron James... then it will cut to an image of the same woman and LeBron James in bed."

How It Works

• Both parties in the images (celebrity and woman) are AI-generated.
• The "influencer" persona is itself fake, often crafted in Discord/Instagram groups—with creators typically being men adopting attractive female identities.
• Hustle culture: This is the latest "meta" (trend) among get-rich-quick "hustle bros":
  • Use Instagram reels for viral reach.
  • Funnel followers to subscription platforms, primarily the OnlyFans competitor Fanview, which permits AI nudes (unlike OnlyFans).
  • Monetize via selling exclusive AI-generated nudes (with minimal transparency).

Quote (Emanuel, 27:51):
"You can plug in to this whole community... AI generate a personality, gain traction on Instagram, and then funnel users... to monetize by selling AI nudes."

Virality and Audience Reaction

• Posts achieve millions of views (e.g., 20 million for a Jon Jones "sex scandal" video).
• Comments divided between clear recognition ("this is AI") and engagement (emojis, declarations of affection, some possibly bots).
• Fanview pages show that real people are subscribing and paying, though it’s unclear if everyone realizes they are interacting with AI.

Quote (Emanuel, 33:33):
"I would guess that there is a non-negligible number of people who do believe this stuff, but we have not been able to... prove that's the case."

• Sam described the difficulty of confirming if commenters are truly deceived or just participating in the viral fun:
  Quote (Sam, 35:40):
  "I sent so many DMs to so many people's dads that I gave up... probably a lot of them were also bots... If you know someone who's really into replying to AI models posts in real life, ask them why and send them my way..."

Monetization & Ethics

• Creators exploit Meta's moderation gaps to drive traffic and income, sometimes using the celebrity’s likeness without consent.
• Fanview only requires small-print disclosure that profiles are AI-generated.

Legal Implications & Defamation Potential

• Use of celebrities’ likenesses in sexual scenarios (without consent or clarity) could be grounds for lawsuits.
• The only known successful intervention is LeBron James' legal team sending a cease-and-desist; the implicated Discord group stopped the activity.
• Jason and Emanuel speculate that a wave of legal actions from celebrities might create precedent or force platforms to act.

Quote (Jason, 40:15):
"I do feel some of these celebrities could make quite a difference by... making a thing out of this, and I wish that they would... perhaps, maybe, the platforms would start thinking about actually moderating this sort of thing."

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the human cost of ICE data mining:
  "ICE wants [addresses]. It is like gold for them... We've seen that where they've hired bounty hunters and PIs to verify addresses. So this Elite tool essentially brings all of that together." (Joseph, 06:40)

• On the state of AI influencer virality:
  "It’s like, there are so many of these accounts... and as we've discussed, they all funnel eyeballs to places where they can be monetized. If you look at Fanview, those accounts do have subscribers. People do buy the images." (Emanuel, 37:12)

• On journalism under corporate versus indie models:
  "It’s just refreshing that we're able to do that. I just wanted to mention that." (Joseph, 13:45) – referring to being able to fund the $650 transcript because the outlet is now journalist-owned.

Key Timestamps

• [02:12] – Start of ICE/Palantir Elite discussion

• [05:24] – Walkthrough of Elite tool’s workflow and data sets

• [10:48] – Oregon court testimony and legal context

• [14:49] – Palantir connection established

• [16:48] – Takeaways and future implications for Elite

• [22:42] – Start of Instagram AI influencer/celibate scandal discussion

• [23:19] – Description and examples of viral AI-generated "sex scandal" posts

• [26:43] – Motivations and monetization scheme of creators

• [33:33] – Discussion on public reaction: belief vs. savvy cynicism

• [38:28] – Legal threats and impact (LeBron James’ case, possibility of future suits)

Tone and Language

• Candid, investigative, and occasionally humorous (especially in exchanges about AI influencer absurdities and viral trends).
• Emphasis on clarity—hosts frequently pause to re-explain technical or counterintuitive aspects for listeners.
• Deeply grounded in real-world documentation—user guides, procurement records, testimony, legal actions.

Conclusion

In this packed episode, The 404 Media team provides a rare inside look at how government surveillance tech is operationalized on the ground and traces the strange, lucrative, ethically fraught world of AI-generated influencer scandals. The stories raise pressing questions about privacy, accountability, consent, and the limits of technological power—showing why independent, persistent investigative reporting matters now more than ever.