Police investigation units are exploring potential software solutions from various vendors.
The Federal Ministry of the Interior in Germany is currently evaluating various alternatives for analytics software to be used by the police, with Palantir being one of the contenders. This examination is being conducted in a fair and open-ended manner, technology-neutral, and without any exclusive preference for Palantir's software.
Palantir's software, known as HessenData and VeRA in Bavaria, has been in use since 2017 in Hesse and since 2024 in Bavaria. The software has demonstrated significant application for automated data analysis in police work, leading to noteworthy law enforcement successes such as the quick resolution of the Munich attack in September 2024 through automated data analysis [1].
However, the ministry is also considering broader digital investigative tools as part of a new "security package" drafted by Federal Minister Alexander Dobrindt. This package includes plans for AI-supported analyses and linking large biometric databases, which have sparked debates about digital sovereignty, data privacy, and constitutional rights [2].
The deployment of Palantir's software is not without controversy. The software's use has been criticized by politics and civil society, and legal scrutiny has been applied, including a recent Federal Constitutional Court ruling limiting the use of surveillance software to serious offenses, due to concerns about privacy and proportionality [3].
Regarding guidelines, the examination and use of such analytics software are under the framework of enhancing digital investigative powers. However, these expansions face opposition from civil liberty groups and data protection organizations. The planned legislative adjustments propose extensive capabilities like merging personal data from various registers and comparing biometric data across public internet sources, but these raise significant human rights and fundamental rights concerns [2].
Furthermore, federal data access regulations and concerns about data transfer to the US via Palantir's systems remain contested, given that the software’s source code is held on servers in Germany but lacks guarantees against data copying abroad [1].
In summary, Palantir is one of several analytics tools under consideration and use by German police. Its deployment is backed by the Interior Ministry but regulated under constitutional and data protection constraints. The ministry is drafting broad guidelines to expand digital investigative powers with AI and biometric surveillance capabilities, which are highly controversial. Legal and societal reviews are ongoing to balance law enforcement effectiveness with privacy and fundamental rights [1][2][3].
Reports that the Federal Ministry of the Interior is exclusively testing Palantir's software for potential nationwide use by the police have been refuted. The ministry is considering the nationwide use of Palantir's analytics software, despite the controversial nature of the software. The examination of new analytics software is being conducted in accordance with the framework conditions set by the Interior Ministers' Conference (IMK).
[1] Source: [Link to the source] [2] Source: [Link to the source] [3] Source: [Link to the source]
The Federal Ministry of the Interior in Germany is deliberating on the potential nationwide use of Palantir's analytics software in data-and-cloud-computing technology, while simultaneously exploring broader AI-supported tools for law enforcement, sparking debates about data privacy and fundamental rights. The examination of new analytics software, including Palantir's, is being conducted in a technology-neutral manner as part of the new "security package."
