The American police software Palantir can quickly evaluate large amounts of data and is already in use in some federal states. But now, given the conflicts with the US government, resistance to it is growing. Federal Justice Minister Hubig (SPD) makes her position clear.
These are frosty times between the USA and Europe. US President Donald Trump has just announced that he will introduce punitive tariffs on goods from eight European countries that oppose a US takeover of Greenland. He had already complained about the “weak” management staff in Europe. On the continent, in turn, people are increasingly coming to the conclusion that America is no longer a reliable partner. Some speak of an “erratic” president.
This not only leads to a possible weakening of cooperation on trade issues. Concerns about dependence on American products and software are also increasing in the security sector. In Germany, this is currently evident with the issue of Palantir. According to WELT research, there are massive withdrawal movements in the federal and state governments. The US company’s analysis software has long been on the wish list of police authorities across the country. It is able to quickly evaluate large amounts of data. But it is now becoming apparent that the software will at least not be used across the board. The criticism is too great.
“The use of the American software Palantir creates a dependency on the United States with unforeseeable consequences. In my opinion, this critical view is now shared by a clear majority of countries,” said Hamburg’s Interior Senator Andy Grote (SPD), currently chairman of the Conference of Interior Ministers, to WELT. We are carefully looking for other European providers.
At the federal level, Federal Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig (SPD) no longer expects the software to be used: “I don’t see Palantir coming to the federal authorities,” Hubig told WELT on Tuesday. The SPD politician had already made critical comments in the weeks before. She thinks it is good and right “that we as the federal government also say: We will not use Palantir,” she said on January 13th at a public event organized by the mobile phone provider O2 Telefónica.
The federal government is currently working on a law that will give the federal police and the Federal Criminal Police Office more powers to investigate in the digital space. A legal basis for automated data analysis is also planned. This would allow programs to search through police databases and make possible connections visible much more quickly.
For a long time, Palantir was considered the method of choice – even in the Union. “Four years ago, the federal states, with the participation of the federal government, carried out a tender for the use of software to support investigations. In the end, there was only one provider: that was Palantir,” said Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) in an interview with “Stern” in the summer. “We are now preparing the possibility of using analysis software at the federal government. This is done in a way that is open to technology and providers.”
Upon request, the ministry now stated that it would continue to examine which analysis software should be used in police work in the future. “The federal-state program P20 is currently examining how the evaluation and analysis capability can be implemented more quickly in the P20 data house ecosystem. In this context, the suitability and usability of various software solutions is being considered,” said a spokeswoman.
Some federal states already use Palantir
In the coalition agreement, the SPD and the Union fundamentally resolved to better harmonize and comprehensively digitize the security authorities’ IT systems. However, the SPD in the Bundestag is now also demanding that Palantir be clearly excluded from the investigative work. “The SPD will not introduce the nationwide use of Palantir,” said Johannes Schätzl, digital policy spokesman for the SPD parliamentary group, to WELT. “I cannot agree to a law in which this is preparatory.”
When asked, the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) explained that appropriate analysis options were necessary. However, the authority did not decide on a provider. “Increasing digitalization and increased crime in the digital space mean that the volume of data relevant to the police is constantly increasing and will continue to increase in the future,” said a BKA spokesman. “From a local perspective, automated data analysis is necessary for modern police work and for the Federal Criminal Police Office in particular in its role as a central office to support the state and federal police authorities.”
Some federal states are already using Palantir’s software or are planning to do so, including Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. However, in some cases it should only be an intermediate step. A five-year contract has been concluded until 2030, said a spokeswoman for the CDU-led Interior Ministry in Stuttgart. The use of Palantir in Baden-Württemberg should only be “a temporary solution”. They are trying to develop comparable European software with suitable partners.
Ricarda Breyton has been writing about migration policy and legal policy issues for many years.
Correspondent Philip Woldin At WELT, he primarily deals with internal security issues and reports from the courtrooms of the Republic.
