At least two billboards for a controversial technology company have suddenly appeared in Youngstown, prompting questions about why the company is targeting the area and what it could mean.

The signs advertise Palantir Technologies, a U.S.-based international data analytics company known for working with government agencies, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Similar billboards have also been spotted and discussed on social media in cities such as Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Baltimore.

One of the billboards in Youngstown displays only the company’s name. Another reads, “America’s future is right here: Youngstown, Ohio.”

Palantir is a Denver, Colorado-based data analytics company that works with government agencies, the military and law enforcement.

The company also operates in healthcare.

Cleveland Clinic has partnered with Palantir to help improve staffing and operational efficiency. 

However, Palantir has also drawn criticism for its role in government data collection.

During the start of the second administration under President Donald Trump, Palantir was contracted by the federal government to gather information on citizens that the government itself would not be legally permitted to collect.

Because Palantir is a private company, those activities are not subject to the same level of public scrutiny.

That has raised concerns among critics about privacy and human rights.

Local marketing expert Jeff Hedrich said the billboard campaign appears to serve three main purposes.

“There’s recruitment, there’s branding, but there’s also politics," Hedrich said, "very overt political messaging." 

Hedrich said Youngstown could be particularly attractive for recruiting, pointing to the strength of local educational programs.

“One of the strongest programs we have at Youngstown State is the engineering department,” he said.

Palantir is also listed as an alumni employer on Youngstown State University’s website.

Computer science professor Dr. Robert Gilliland said companies that collect and analyze massive amounts of data can raise questions about how that information is protected.

“That’s where you have things like infrastructure security, you have your site survey, you have your risk management, things like that,” Gilliland said, “And with that much power, that much information, you have to really struggle to protect that information.”

Palantir responded late Wednesday afternoon to 21 News in a statement. 

Regarding the campaign, the company said: 

"We chose to run these ads in Youngstown and historic industrial powerhouses across America because we believe the AI revolution should bring immense prosperity to these regions.

In the past, cities like Youngstown have been gutted by policy failures and corporate greed.

A new golden age is coming, and we at Palantir are committed to making sure real people and real communities benefit."