DetectionUsing spooks’ software to select wine

Delectable is a mobile application that allows users to explore wines by using technology currently employed to locate terrorists and prevent bank frauds. The application is considered to have the world’s largest database of wine, providing information on more than two million wines and offering users an option to purchase selected wines.

The Washington Post reports that Alex Fishman launched the application, inspired by the possibility of converting technologies used by intelligence services for consumer use. Fishman is a former “forward deployed engineer” at Palantir, a major data mining intelligence firm. California-based Palantir has a client list that includes the CIA, FBI, NSA, and other law enforcement and military agencies. The company was partly funded by the CIA in its early stages through the CIA’s In-Q-Tel venture fund. Former secretary of state Condoleeza Rice and former CIA director George Tenet are among the firm’s advisers. Forbes magazine describes Palantir as the “go-to company for mining massive data sets for intelligence and law enforcement applications.”

Fishman describes his interest in wine and data mining in an interview with Andrea Peterson of the Switch, published by the Washington Post. “I was very fortunate at my job in Palantir to eat at some of the best restaurants in the world,” Fishman explains, adding “I think the mission of Palantir is very important, and I love the team and love the product[…] but I didn’t feel that I was born to work with government agencies.”

Fishman wanted to implement Palantir’s strategies in the consumer market and he brought in colleagues from Palantir as investors for Delectable. The result of the relationship is the creation of a wine database using Palantir’s dataset management technology. The technology allows users to browse through and connect to large sets of contrasting data. Updating the database and adding new wines is a challenge, but Palantir’s technology allows for simple integration of multiple databases. Delectable allows users to create a profile showcasing their wine tastes, then offers personalized recommendations, user reviews, social media sharing, and purchasing options.