Silicon Valley billionaire Peter Thiel, the founder of the data analytics firm Palantir Technologies, will be in Rome from Monday to Wednesday to hold a series of four conferences dedicated to the "biblical Antichrist". The meetings, however, will be held behind closed doors, and the exact location has yet to be announced. The Vincenzo Gioberti Cultural Association of Brescia is organizing the events, which will feature a select selection of visitors chosen from among Italian Catholic opinion leaders. According to the program, each conference will last about two hours, from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM. The rules for participants are especially strict: cell phones must be placed outside the room, and taking photos or videos is not permitted. Anyone who violates the confidentiality agreement faces a fine of up to €10,000. The talks' strict confidentiality and Thiel's presence in Italy have sparked political concerns. Some opposition groups have filed a parliamentary question to determine whether the tycoon, nicknamed "the king of mass surveillance", has any political meetings scheduled and with whom. However, the administration has announced that there would be no meeting with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni during his visit to the country.
The term "king of surveillance" refers to Palantir Technologies, a US business that specializes in the creation of advanced software for data analysis and the application of artificial intelligence to intelligence, military operating systems, and government monitoring. The company's name refers to the Palantíri, or "seeing stones" from J. R. R. Tolkien's epic saga The Lord of the Rings, which is capable of monitoring distant events but may also become dangerous tools if abused.