Palantir and London mayor's office settle lawsuit over UK police contract

LONDON, Oct 14 (Reuters) — US tech firm Palantir and London mayor Sadiq Khan's office have settled Palantir's lawsuit over a decision to block a £50 million ($66 million) contract with London police, both parties said on Wednesday. Palantir had agreed a two-year contract with the Metropolitan Police to use its artificial intelligence systems to automate certain tasks and for analysing evidence. But the mayor's office refused to approve the deal, telling the Met Police it had failed to have an open competition for the contract, with reports also quoting a spokesperson for Khan citing concerns Palantir did not align with "London's values". Palantir's supply of software for the US military and immigration services, plus billionaire co-founder Peter Thiel's political views, have drawn scrutiny as European governments grow increasingly wary about dependency on US tech platforms. The company was challenging the decision to block the Met contract, but Palantir and the Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime said in a joint statement that they had resolved the case and "withdrawn their allegations against each other". MOPAC's decision not to enter into the contract "was not based on Palantir