The American Association of University Professors publicly challenged the Education Department’s reported use of Palantir as a subcontractor on a federal portal tracking foreign gifts to higher‑education institutions. The AAUP said the partnership, first flagged by FedScoop, raises surveillance and academic‑freedom concerns given Palantir’s past work with military and immigration agencies. The Education Department described Palantir’s role in the past tense and said the portal has been upgraded following stakeholder feedback. The AAUP demanded contract details, cost figures and assurances about data handling and privacy, warning that third‑party data firms could shift the federal posture toward treating universities as security risks rather than public goods. Institutions and governing boards should expect more scrutiny and calls for transparency around federal vendor relationships that touch campus compliance and reporting systems.