Big data in the police: (Not only) Hesse is (not only) looking for dangerous people with Palantir software

dossier

“Hesse is ushering in a fundamental change in police work in Germany: software from Palantir relinks data sets, evaluates them and is intended to identify so-called threat actors. This is not only legally questionable, but is likely to have far-reaching consequences, writes criminologist Tobias Singelnstein inFundamental Rights Report 2019. (…) The task of the software is not to collect new data. Rather, it brings together and evaluates previously unlinked police data sets. Internal police information about criminal cases and manhunts includes connection data from telephone surveillance, contents of scanned cell phones, emails, social media data and much more. In this way, “Hessen-Data” can, for example, recognize connections between different people or events. Who knows each other? Who lives close to each other? What events might be connected?…”Guest article by Tobias Singelnstein on June 3rd, 2019 at Netzpolitik . See:

• [Thursday, September 24th] Protest in Berlin: With Gandalf against Peter Thiel and against the Axel Springer Award for the right-wing tech billionaire
  “If the right-wing billionaire Peter Thiel receives the Axel Springer Award in Berlin, it will not go without controversy. An alliance has announced loud and creative protests and a Gandalf costume contest against the awards ceremony.Next Thursday, Axel Springer Publishing will honor tech billionaire and democracy opponent Peter Thiel with the Axel Springer Award. Protests are forming against the awarding of the award to Thiel, who plays an important role at the surveillance company Palantir and whose venture capital company Founders Fund invested in the defense company Covenant.A coalition of different groups wants to protest against the award with a rally and a queer Gandalf costume competition under the motto “Thiel shall not pass”. Background to the competition: Thiel himself likes to name his companies after names from the Lord of the Rings, including the company Palantir. The magician Gandalf is the antagonist of the evil ones in Tolkien's epic - which is why he was already used against Thiel in Argentina and is now set to become part of the protest in Berlin.“If Thiel thinks he is Sauron, we will show him who is blocking his path,” said a spokesman for the protest alliance before the action. The rally is scheduled to start on Thursday, September 24th at 5:30 p.m. in front of the publishing house…”Contribution by Markus Reuter from September 18, 2026 in network politics 
• Palantir as a door opener for dystopia [through abstract-preventive data-driven social control]
  “The Palantir software “Gotham” is much more than a tool for better evaluation of police data. Rather, their introduction to the police establishes a new, data-driven social control. It opens the door to a corresponding dystopia. This does not only apply because this step binds the German police authorities to the US provider's platform and its applications in the long term. Rather, the introduction will also massively accelerate the development towards mass data evaluation, the use of AI, risk forecasts and preemptive techniques in the field of social control - and thus promote a paradigm shift in social control that has been apparent for some time, but which has so far lacked speed. (…) The introduction of Palantir is not just a product of technological progress, but is part of a social context in which there is a growing need for individual, civic security. (…) It seems to have become unreasonable to wait for a concrete danger to occur. Instead, social control should identify risks well in advance of specific events and minimize their probability of occurrence. The endeavor of forecasting risks and predicting deviant behavior requires extensive data and sophisticated forms of evaluating such mass data. (…) Comparable results could only be achieved through human work with a considerable expenditure of time or possibly not at all due to the large amounts of data. However, this story only depicts a part of the development and negates its significance.On the one hand, connecting and searching various police databases interferes with the right to informational self-determination of those affected to a different extent than the previous practice of police data processing. In particular, compliance with the purpose limitation principle under data protection law is fundamentally questioned. On the other hand, and above all, the potential of the “Gotham” software goes far beyond the intended use – linking existing databases. The vision of the company Palantir, with Alex Karp at its head, is to redesign the functioning of all security and migration authorities in the USA, but also in other countries, on the basis of artificial intelligence and thereby contribute to changing Western society according to its ideas.8) The aim is not just to increase the efficiency of police work, but to have a comprehensive influence on social coexistence and the creation of a very specific idea of ​​social order. Accordingly, the technical development prospects are not limited to searching police databases, but are moving towards comprehensive social control with the aim of prediction. (���) These developments would mean that police practice would be significantly more difficult to understand and control.The further we move in advance of a possible danger, the less clear it becomes why which person or place is defined as a risk by the software and subsequently by the police and which norm is perceived as endangered.14) On the other hand, this is accompanied by a new level of abstraction and simplification. Instead of being triggered by concrete dangers or crimes, the state reaction is triggered by abstract categories of danger. (…) The introduction of the Palantir software would be or is a milestone in the effort to fundamentally and abstractly and preventively reshape the field of social control. The technical potential of the software - which goes far beyond the previous justification narratives - threatens to give a powerful boost to the development of new forms of social control that are based on statistical risk calculations and interventions in advance of specific events. As a result, in addition to the classic forms of police and criminal social control, other ways of recognizing and dealing with (potential) deviations arise. These are more abstract, more error-prone, more selective and harder to control.” Article by Tobias Singelnstein and Ida Dankenbring from August 31, 2026 in the Constitution Blog 
• CICTAR report: Palantir pays almost no corporate tax in Europe, but at the same time benefits from public contracts
  “A new report reveals that Palantir pays little to no corporate taxes in Europe while generating massive profits and enormous stock value thanks to government contracts.The CICTAR report, supported by EPSU and its affiliates, describes the profit shifting and stock-based compensation strategies that allow the company to evade responsibility for the public services and national security on which it derives its profits.Palantir is known for its manifesto promoting a dystopian technocracy, its role in the destruction of Palestine, secret meetings in the elite network, and its founder's close ties to Jeffrey Epstein. Now the company is once again in the spotlight due to its questionable tax practices…” EnglishEPSU press release dated August 5, 2026 for theCICTAR report and above:
  • Dubious practices: Palantir avoids taxes
    “Palantir was able to almost double its sales compared to the previous year. Last but not least, this is thanks to lucrative public contracts (…) Alex Karp, the managing director of Palantir, has reason to be excited: “This quarter was out of this world.”
    Yesterday, Tuesday, the controversial data analysis company made headlines with its immense sales. Revenues rose by 93 percent year-on-year to 1.68 billion euros. Palantir concludes contracts with authorities, secret services, military and defense companies worldwide, including in Europe. However, the US company apparently designed its corporate structures in such a way that it pays very little tax in both the US and Europe. This is revealed in a new research report. It was written by the British Center for International Corporate Tax Accountability and Research, which specializes in tax avoidance practices by multinational corporations. (…)
    According to the research report, Palantir reported far lower profit margins in Europe than the US. The researchers point to “profit shifting”: revenue that Palantir generates abroad shifts it back to the US, where the company may not have to pay federal income tax for another decade.  The fact that the USA is a tax haven for Palantir is partly thanks to US President Donald Trump's “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” and partly to the tactic of remunerating employees with stock options instead of wages. This is a loophole in the law that allows enormous tax deductions. It was only in January that European heads of state and government also gave in to Trump's demand to exempt US multinational corporations from a global minimum tax. This also benefits Palantir. By far, the UK is the most affected by Palantir's tax cutting strategies. But Germany already ends up in second place among the countries examined. According to the report, a tax loss of 1.6 million euros can be expected here. In the year 2024 examined, 65 percent of total sales in Germany came from service fees from the US parent company. This could indicate that the majority of sales from German contracts are recorded in the USA, which would significantly underestimate the sales and profits reported in Germany. (…) Palantir is far from the first US technology company to come under scrutiny for tax avoidance. Apple, Amazon and Microsoft have already been in court over how they record sales in Europe. However, the tactics that the researchers attribute to Palantir are usually not illegal.(…) While German police authorities are building surveillance structures with Palantir’s software, Palantir is probably concentrating on reducing tax obligations.” Contribution by Rika Baack from August 5, 2026 in Netzpolitik.org 
• [Purge Palantir Campaign] Palantir Protest: “Neither Left nor Right Liked”
  Constanze and Timur Vorkul will speak on Netzpolitik.org on August 3, 2026 “with US activistsPurge Palantir campaign about why and how they organize protests against the company in its home country. (…) Purge Palantir: The three worst things they do: First, as many Germans have probably read, Elon Musk and a number of IT people came into play when the Trump administration came to power and began to cut and dismantle US agencies and institutions. There was the so-called Department of Governmental Efficiency (DOGE). This department destroyed government agencies and state institutions, fired many employees, but also collected huge amounts of data. (…) Second: We know that Palantir's software is not only used to recognize patterns to track people, but also uses various facial recognition systems to identify people who are resisting deportation and protesting against the deportation authority ICE. Third, Palantir has played a significant role in the Israel Defense Forces, giving instructions on where Hamas operatives are supposed to be and where to bomb. The company played a role in the genocide. (…) “Purge Palantir” has a somewhat longer history. We are just one current facet of a much longer struggle. During Trump's first term, some dedicated people among us noticed that ICE was able to find and identify people in ways that had simply not been possible before. They began investigating and discovered a network of data brokers and companies like Palantir that were specifically helping ICE by using all publicly available and private data to identify people.This realization gave rise to a campaign called “No Tech for ICE.” It was aimed at Palantir, but also at Google, Amazon and other tech companies that helped ICE break up families and carry out kidnappings. “Purge Palantir” is a continuation of that campaign, now during Trump’s second term. (…) A few months ago we launched the “Palantir Payroll”. It is a list of all members of the US Congress who receive money from Palantir. People are demanding their MPs cut ties with the company. 12 or 14 people who are up for re-election this year have now said they will no longer accept money from Palantir. I think the elected members of the US Congress know that the company is very controversial and that people do not want to be bought and paid for by companies and people like Peter Thiel and Alex Karp. (…) Peter Thiel in particular, who is involved in many anti-democratic and right-wing extremist projects as well as in surveillance and control systems, is a person who is not liked by either the left or the right. But many people still don't know what Palantir is. One of the strengths of our campaign is that Palantir's activities, such as destroying democracy, surveilling people, or using AI-powered warfare, are disliked by people on the left and right, and they can form a united front. In Florida and other parts of the country, there are Republican lawmakers who have spoken out very strongly against Palantir.(…) One of the main topics that we deal with and that we put at the center of our work is public education on a large scale. People need to know how harmful Palantir is, what they do and what they stand for. Palantir says it itself: We kill people, we believe in Western supremacy. They are pretty honest when it comes to their positions. We believe that we should not support or provide funding to such companies. (…) These are the successes that we experience every day, such as the rejection of Palantir by the Mayor of London, the rejection of Palantir by the population in Great Britain and by German secret services. They give hope. Recently, the SEIU (Service Employees International Union), one of the largest unions in this country, announced that it had also launched a campaign against the company. Every day I see more and more people and organizations around the world raising their voices and speaking out against Palantir. Palantir may have money, but we have more people... (...) Palantir's success depends on its ability to gain influence with European governments. Slowing down and stopping this process would be a great success…”
• Baden-Württemberg: Green base votes against Palantir - but the state government is sticking to its course...
  "The sign is clear: In a ballot by the Greens in Baden-Württemberg, 92 percent spoke out against the introduction of the Gotham data analysis software in the state police. 40 percent of the Green party members took part in the vote. The result: the state government should immediately terminate its five-year contract with the US company Palantir. The Baden-Württemberg police should use Palantir's software to link and recreate millions of data sets from various sources The majority of voters fear a dragnet search at the push of a button. There is also the risk that data will have to be handed over to US authorities (…) The state government sees the result of the initial vote as a confirmation of the existing course: The state government should switch to a European alternative as quickly as possible Cem Özdemir (Greens) reiterated that he wanted to stick to the contract. (…) Even if the state government were to follow the ballot, the 25 million euros in license fees would have to be paid to the US company, according to the ballot. The CDU signed the contract with Palantir without any exit clauses. (…) The initiators of the ballot suggest alternatives: Prominent among them is the data analysis software ArgonOS from France. The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution decided on this. (…) The fact that such data analysis software from Europe would also be problematic for fundamental rights and civil liberties does not play a role in the ballot vote…” Contribution by Rika Baack from July 30, 2026 at Netzpolitik.org 
• David against Goliath: Surveillance company Palantir is suing the Swiss magazine “Republik”, which has already won 
  • “The Republic” prevails against Palantir: Palantir suffers a defeat in a commercial court in Switzerland
    “The US company wanted to obtain a counter statement after critical reporting by the “Republic”. However, the court ruled that the presentation of the facts was largely correct. (…) It is clear from the judgment that the “Republic’s” representation of Palantir’s attempts to establish cooperation with Swiss federal authorities over seven years correspond to the facts. They are neither irrelevant nor wrong. According to the court, the linguistic evaluations of the research results were also permissible. The presentation of the Swiss Army's analysis also does not object to the judgment. In it, the army advised not to cooperate with Palantir. The Zurich court did not accept the criticism raised: The article does not pretend that a solid offer from the company had been rejected. The authors made it clear that it was more about assessing the advantages and disadvantages of collaboration.
    In total, the court ruled in favor of the magazine “Republik” in 22 of the 23 counter-statements requested. This means that only a small detail of the extensive research needs to be corrected, which concerns the history of the creation of a Palantir software product. (…)
    Unlike the “correction” blog post from December 2025, a current response to the ruling, which was published by Palantir over the weekend, was deleted on Monday. It said that the company welcomed the ruling. The full counter-statement demands have also been removed. It is still unclear whether this has any significance for further legal action. Because the commercial court’s ruling is not yet legally binding. Palantir could file an appeal with the federal court within a month. We asked the group whether it is considering further legal action. We didn't get an answer to that.”Contribution by Constanze from June 16, 2026 in Netzpolitik 
  • Palantir is suing the Republic
    “Research into the company Palantir, which was carried out by the Republic and the research collective WAV, triggered international media coverage. The US company is now suing the Republic for a counter statement. The case is before the Zurich Commercial Court.
    There is hardly ever such a response to Swiss investigative research. But the timing for the two-part series on the work of the company Palantir in Switzerland, which weon 8. andDecember 9, 2025 published could not have been better. (…)
    The US company seems to dislike this huge international response. The company's irritation would be understandable: Palantir appears to be closely linked to the Trump administration, both commercially and more and more ideologically. In view of the increasing crisis of trust between the US administration and the leading powers of the EU, Palantir's market position in Europe has now become significantly more fragile. Soon after the Republic article appeared, the company wrotea detailed blog post , in which the Republic is accused of various false statements. To our knowledge, this is the first time that Palantir has commented in such detail on a media article.
    Between Christmas and New Year's, Palantir approached the Republic with demands for rebuttal, which the Republic considered to be unfounded and therefore could not act on. (…)
    The fact that a global $300 billion corporation is taking legal action against a small Swiss media start-up says something about how much irritation the WAV and Republic research has caused among Palantir's leadership. And that it also says something about the concept of publicity and democratic debate that is cultivated at a tech giant that supplies armies, secret services and police authorities worldwide with software that is used to monitor, control and prosecute citizens…”Article by Daniel Binswanger and Adrienne Fichter from February 14, 2026 in Republik.ch 
  • David vs. Goliath: Surveillance company Palantir sues the “Republic”
    “The major corporation Palantir is taking press action against the Swiss magazine “Republik”. Das had conducted research to understand why the company's systems are problematic for states and their sovereignty. The magazine doesn't want to be intimidated by the lawsuit.
    The surveillance company Palantir is suing Republic Magazine over its reporting and is demanding a counter statement. Journalist Adrienne Fichter announced this on social media today, and a spokesman for Palantir confirmed the incident to netzpolitik.org.
    In December, the magazine reported how Palantir tried to gain a foothold in Switzerland - and how the Swiss military refused to cooperate because, among other things, it came to the conclusion that an outflow of data from Palantir's systems could not be technically prevented. Few other media outlets have recently reported as much and in as much detail about Palantir as the small, reader-funded Swiss magazine with its 30,000 subscribers. Palantir, on the other hand, is a billion-dollar surveillance and data company whose software is used by numerous police authorities, military and secret services worldwide. Police in Germany also work with the company. Although the use of Palantir's software is highly controversial, new police laws in this country are currently creating the legal basis for the expanded use of such software…”Contribution by Markus Reuter from February 12, 2026 in network politics (with many links) – see the background here below
• Despite the confusing political manifesto: countries are sticking to Palantir 
  "US tech giant Palantir has published a political manifesto. How are Germany's interior ministries reacting? ZDFheute asked whether the software will continue to be used. (...) Now the company has published a manifesto in which it calls for massive political changes in the USA and worldwide - for AI weapons and against "backward and harmful cultures". International media write about “tech fascism”. Hesse's Interior Minister Roman Poseck (CDU) tells ZDFheute: "Even if I don't share the statements made by Mr. Karp and Mr. Zamiska, in my opinion that doesn't change the fact that it is currently right and necessary to use Palantir's software. (...)The manifesto released by Palantir on their X channel on Saturday includes 22 individual points. They are based on the book “The Technological Republic” by Palantir boss Alexander Karp and co-founder Nicholas Zamiska. (…) Palantir products are used in Bavaria, Hesse and North Rhine-Westphalia, some for several years. The costs for this amount to tens of millions of euros. Baden-Württemberg cleared the legal path for use in November, but the political dispute over it continues. (…) "The Bavarian police are still in an ongoing contractual relationship with the company Palantir Technologies GmbH. Statements made by the company Palantir via X have no influence on this legally binding contractual relationship." (Bavarian Ministry of the Interior) (…) In Bavaria people are confident that “some companies” are currently developing suitable applications. “A year-long waiver until a corresponding German or European solution is developed and implemented is (…) not an option,” said the State Ministry in Munich.” Contribution by Nils Metzger from April 22, 2026 at zdfheute.de Among other things, with the graphic “Which federal states use Palantir software” – “confused” is flattering… And also:
  • Palantir: Employees internally warn of “descent into fascism.” Leaked Slack messages and interviews paint a picture of a company in an identity crisis
    "... Palantir, the US data company co-founded by tech billionaire Peter Thiel, is in a deep mental crisis. As Ars Technica reports, employees are increasingly despairing of the company's role as the technological backbone of immigration policy under the second Trump administration. Internal Slack messages and interviews with current and former employees paint the picture of a company that is struggling with itself. The explosiveness can be seen in a phone call between two former employees, WIRED documented. A former employee summed up the identity crisis to WIRED: "We should be the ones preventing such abuses. Now we don't prevent them - we seem to enable them." Specifically, the immigration agency ICE uses several Palantir tools. (…) Internal tensions reached a peak in January 2026. In Minneapolis, federal officers shot and killed nurse Alex Pretti during anti-ICE protests. Employees from across the company then called for clarification about Palantir's role in a Slack thread. “Our involvement with ICE was swept far too much under the rug internally under Trump 2,” one employee wrote, according to WIRED. “We need clarity about our involvement.” (…) Shortly thereafter, Palantir began automatically deleting messages in the Slack channel #palantir-in-the-news after seven days. A member of the cybersecurity team justified this with previous leaks. For many employees, the move seemed like an attempt to silence the internal discourse. In February 2026, another event occurred: a Tomahawk missile attack on an Iranian elementary school killed more than 120 children.A preliminary US military investigation concluded that the US was responsible and that surveillance tools such as Palantir's Maven Smart System were used. (…) Meanwhile, external pressure is also growing. In a recent analysis, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) accused Palantir of violating its own human rights policy. The company refers to the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights as well as GDPR-like principles, but practice tells a different story. The EFF documents the use of Palantir tools for large-scale raids, discriminatory detentions, and the use of health data for deportations. Palantir, on the other hand, emphasizes its “multi-tiered risk approach” with immutable audit logs and data protection controls. The company does not offer a single mega-database, but rather a query interface across multiple sources. The question of whether these technical protective measures are sufficient in view of the documented usage scenarios is likely to further fuel the debate inside and outside the company.” Contribution by Matthias Lindner from April 27, 2026 on Telepolis 
  • Palantir employees are talking about company’s “descent into fascism”
    Slack messages, interviews with current and former works paint picture of company in turmoil.
    Makena Kelly, wired.com – Apr 25, 2026
    https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/04/palantir-employees-are-talking-about-companys-descent-into-fascism/ 
• Lex Palantir: 14 organizations reject the Federal Ministry of the Interior's draft laws on biometric matching and automated data analysis
  “…We reject the regulations for fundamental constitutional and human rights considerations - both in the areas of criminal procedure and security law. The Federal Government is responsible for ensuring that the fundamental rights of citizens remain effectively protected even in the age of automated mass surveillance. The planned introduction of these monitoring instruments is diametrically opposed to this responsibility. The automated biometric comparison with publicly accessible Internet data - as made possible by systems such as Pim Eyes or Clearview AI - represents a qualitative leap in the surveillance infrastructure. With an enormous scope, it encroaches on the right to informational self-determination of all people who publish photos, videos and other content with biometric characteristics on the Internet without having given any reason to do so. Also affected are people who are shown in the background of a photo without their knowledge or intention. “Non-hits” also represent an infringement of fundamental rights…” Committee for Fundamental Rights and Democracy via email on April 1, 2026Joint statement from April 1, 2026 at the RAV As part of the association's participation in the draft laws to strengthen digital investigative powers in police work as well as the draft law to strengthen digital investigative powers to ward off the dangers of international terrorism on the draft laws relating to Sections 98d, 98e StPO and Sections 9a, 9b, 22a, 39a, 39b, 63b, 63c BKAG, Sections 46, 58a, 58b BPolG, § 15b AsylG
  • It says: “…The signatory associations jointly comment on the two existing draft laws, which are intended to enable automated biometric comparison with publicly available Internet data as well as automated data analysis - such as through systems such as Pim Eyes and Palantir - for federal and state police authorities. The project includes a draft from the Federal Ministry of the Interior on security law and a draft from the Federal Ministry of Justice on criminal prosecution. We reject the regulations for fundamental constitutional and human rights considerations - both in the areas of criminal procedure and security law.
    The Federal Government is responsible for ensuring that the fundamental rights of citizens remain effectively protected even in the age of automated mass surveillance. The planned introduction of these monitoring instruments is diametrically opposed to this responsibility.
    II. Fundamental rejection of the projects
    The automated biometric comparison with publicly accessible Internet data - as made possible by systems such as Pim Eyes or Clearview AI - represents a qualitative leap in the surveillance infrastructure. With an enormous scope, it encroaches on the right to informational self-determination of all people who publish photos, videos and other content with biometric characteristics on the Internet without having given any reason to do so. Also affected are people who are shown in the background of a photo without their knowledge or intention. “Non-hits” also represent an infringement of fundamental rights (…)
    The same applies to automated data analysis using systems like those from Palantir. The merging and algorithmic evaluation of massive amounts of data provided for in the regulations allows the creation of in-depth personality profiles. It enables conclusions to be drawn that go far beyond the original collection purposes of the analyzed data and also beyond the goal of the actual search query to the analysis system. Such systems are structurally error-prone, non-transparent and promote discrimination. This applies even more to AI systems, which continue to be self-learning even after introduction and are not excluded in the designs. (…)
    The introduction of these systems represents a fundamental interference with fundamental rights and a threat to constitutional principles such as transparency, freedom from discrimination and effective legal protection, which is not justified by the purposes envisaged in the draft.
    The regulations also introduce the possibility of using sensitive personal data from the population to test and train IT products, including artificial intelligence. The permitted use of almost the entire data base, even in non-anonymized form, is disproportionate. This includes, among other things, data from witnesses, from measures with a wide range such as radio cell data queries, personal information from evidence or telecommunications surveillance and particularly sensitive data such as biometric information.
    The drafts already allow the use of personal data if the effort required for anonymization or pseudonymization is considered disproportionately high - even if no unchanged data would be required for the training (§ 22 BKAG-E, § 46 BPolG-E). Since, on the one hand, it is unclear when an effort is considered disproportionate and, on the other hand, this is left to the authorities' self-assessment, there is a risk that non-anonymized data will often be used. (…)
    III. No constitutionally compliant design possible
    The specific design of the powers of intervention proposed by the BMI and BMJV further exacerbates the fundamental rights problem. (…)
    IV. Special criticism: § 15b AsylG
    Section 15b AsylG gives cause for particular concern. Asylum seekers find themselves structurally unprotected: they are dependent on state procedures, often have limited options for exercising their rights and are particularly vulnerable to state abuse. The extension of biometric mass comparisons to this group of people exacerbates their vulnerable and exposed situation. It poses a serious risk that biometrically collected data will be used for purposes that diametrically contradict the protective purpose of asylum law. Compared to the current Section 15b Asylum Act, protective measures that were previously explicitly included in the wording of the law are no longer applicable. Even insofar as these result from other legal requirements, the deletion of the protective provisions from the standard itself would, in our view, violate the requirement of standard clarity and should therefore be rejected…”
• Algorithmic analysis: “When the police officer doesn’t know where the decision comes from”
  "The STANDARD spoke to the Society for Freedom Rights, which filed a constitutional complaint in Karlsruhe. (…) The operation took place without any legal basis for at least a whole year. Only then did the Bavarian state data protection officer Thomas Petri intervene (…) Petri's assessment of this: "The use of Palantir, as it is now stated in the Police Tasks Act, is constitutionally wrong." (…) This assessment is also shared by the Society for Freedom Rights (GFF), which filed a constitutional complaint “against systematic police data analyzes in Bavaria” in July last year. (…) As Franziska Görlitz, fully qualified lawyer and procedure coordinator at the GFF, explains to STANDARD, the constitutional complaint is not directed against the use of the software itself, but against the legal basis that was created for it. In the GFF's opinion, this would violate the requirements that the Federal Constitutional Court set for police data analysis in 2023 - as a result of an earlier complaint by the GFF. Karlsruhe made it clear back then: “The automated data analysis by the previously known police software represented an interference with fundamental rights protected by the Basic Law (GG).” Görlitz notes that data analyzes are particularly serious in Bavaria, as an extraordinary amount of data flows in from different sources, namely from people who are uninvolved and “have given no reason for them to be targeted by the police authorities”.The method is also hardly restricted: We are not talking about a mere data comparison, but rather about complex, incomprehensible analysis algorithms. (…) It is difficult to say when and whether the GFF’s constitutional complaint will bear fruit. The applicants are currently waiting for formal delivery to the state government and the stakeholders who can submit statements - provided that the application is accepted by Karlsruhe. (…) Despite all the attention and criticism that Palantir and Peter Thiel have received in the recent past, Görlitz points out once again at the end of the conversation that “data analysis would be a danger even if we were to use another company’s software”…” Article from March 16, 2026 in DerStandard online 
• Palantir use in North Rhine-Westphalia: Police use the software thousands of times - despite strict guidelines
  "The use of Palantir's police software is subject to strict requirements. Nevertheless, it was used at least 2,000 times in six months. However, the NRW Ministry of the Interior cannot say exactly how often. (...) With Palantir, the police in NRW have been able to search various databases automatically since 2022 and bundle information. Officers can also add social media profiles or data from websites manually. "I think that is the most sensible thing we have ever done,” says Interior Minister Reul about the software. (…) But the computer program may only be used under strict conditions, especially for the “preventive fight against particularly serious crimes,” as it is stated in the North Rhine-Westphalia Police Act, for example to prevent a terrorist attack or serious sexual violence against children. In the event of simple theft, for example, the software may not be used. (…)
  “There is definitely a risk that people will be classified as dangerous due to incorrect evaluations of the software, even though they have no reason to do so,” says Franziska Görlitz from the “Gesellschaft für Freiheitsrechte” association, describing the fundamental concerns of civil rights activists and data protection activists. The police can target people based on a classification, “even though there is no objective evidence of this.” But how often and in what cases did the NRW police use the program exactly? That cannot be said, the Interior Ministry said at the request of the WDR magazine Westpol. It will not be evaluated at all. (…) What his ministry can say: How many officials have worked with the Palantir program. There were exactly 2,034 in the last six months. It remains unclear whether officials used the software just once or perhaps several hundred times. The Federal Constitutional Court demands that detailed constitutional control of the powerful software must be ensured. The North Rhine-Westphalia Data Protection Act also expressly states that the justification for the use, i.e. the reason, must be recorded. (…)
  In Bavaria, the Ministry of the Interior presented the figures for Palantir usage there in 2025. And they differ significantly from those in North Rhine-Westphalia. The Bavarian police did not use the software several thousand times in six months, but only used it a good hundred times. The Bavarian Ministry of the Interior has also provided detailed information on what occasions it was used and when. (…)
  There are now several European providers with comparable software. Interior Minister Reul now wants to switch to one of them because of developments in the USA. He confirmed to Westpol that the North Rhine-Westphalia police are already working on a tender for a new provider: "We are looking, and so are several federal states and the federal government. We are all on the hunt to find a company that can also offer that, at least roughly." Contribution by Arne Hell and Boris Kartheuser from February 6, 2026 on WDR 
• Faster analysis, heavier control: Palantir sets technical and organizational standards and is drastically changing police work - irreversible?
  • Palantir in Baden-Württemberg: Faster analysis, harder control
    “Baden-Württemberg wants to introduce software from the US company Palantir to the police – in the middle of a time of growing geopolitical tensions. The debate is no longer just about technology, but rather about the question of how dependent the state wants to make itself on anti-democratic forces right now. (…)
    Know what you know faster
    The Baden-Württemberg Ministry of the Interior emphasizes that it is all about speed. In certain situations, it is said, time can be the difference between life and death. If there is a threat of violence, a terrorist attack, ongoing child abuse, it is currently possible that the police already have the crucial information - but do not recognize it in time.Palantir is supposed to solve this problem . “Only if the police know what they know,” is the formula of the State Criminal Police Office (LKA), “can they protect people in the best possible way.” The LKA and the Ministry of the Interior assure that the operation is technically secured. (…)
    “The question is not whether data flows over the Internet,” says Manuel Atug from theCritical Infrastructures Working Group (AG KRITIS) . “The question is what Palantir employees can do who have direct access to the system and all the data on site.” Atug has been working on critical infrastructure for years. His assessment: The debate is focused on the wrong level. The systems may be isolated, but they do not function without access from Palantir employees.
    Who controls the interfaces
    The Palantir software is a proprietary, manufacturer-linked system. In order to use the system, the company’s technicians are needed on site. They come regularly to the LKAs on site, on Mondays and back on Fridays. According to Atug, there are seven in Bavaria and two to four in Hesse. You program, maintain, adjust. Above all, they take care of the so-called data pipelines. Those interfaces through which information from police databases is fed into the Palantir system. Such a pipeline is needed for every data source. It is set up by Palantir, adapted to the ontology of the system and constantly changed. In theory, this means: structured data, clearly assigned, and able to be analyzed efficiently. In practice, whoever controls these pipelines controls the flow of information. (…)
    Is such a system really that easy to switch off after five years of use? Palantir sets standards, both technically and organizationally. Data models, analysis processes and ways of thinking are aligned with the software. Anyone who uses Palantir adapts their systems to Palantir. A supposedly neutral interim solution can soon become a permanent situation, not only because of the high effort involved in implementing such systems. (…)
    For Keber, it is crucial that the state retains control - not just in purchasing, but in ongoing operations. “It will be crucial that the state, when it uses a service provider, has sufficient expertise and resources to be able to assess and review the actions of a service provider and the agreements with it.” Anyone who uses private service providers must have sufficient expertise of their own in order to be able to check their actions.
    The USA shows that this question is more than just a theoretical one. There, Palantir is deeply integrated into state structures, such as the ICE deportation force.Research by US media have revealed how extensively the company's software is used there to link and evaluate government data. For Atug, Palantir co-founder Peter Thiel has never made a secret about whyhis company standsshould: “not to be friendly, but to persecute and kill enemies of the USA”…”Article by Florian Kaufmann from February 4th, 2026 in the context weekly newspaper 
  • Palantir: This US company is drastically changing policing.
    “How, of all things, US software based on Tolkien's model could change Germany's police work and why it is so controversial
    Anyone who looks into a Palantír sees a lot - but never everything. In the Tolkien works “The Lord of the Rings,” the Palantíri, magical seeing stones, enable us to see far away places. Powerful, seductive, but also dangerous. The libertarian US tech billionaire Peter Thiel did not choose the name Palantir for his company by chance. It's been on everyone's lips in Germany since last year at the latest. (…) You can imagine the software as a kind of “control center for data”: information from many different sources is brought together, sorted and linked to one another in one place. This makes visible what was previously hidden in tables, databases or files. As in “The Lord of the Rings”: Palantíri (Elvish for: palan = far, tír = see) provide insight into events in other places or at other times and are intended to improve communication between users. Palantir co-founder Peter Thiel is an avowed Tolkien fan and deliberately named the company that way. Because: The software should show what would otherwise remain hidden. The name therefore also fits into the worldview of the libertarian billionaire. He is convinced that those who see better have the power to make decisions. (…)
    The Palantir company was originally intended to support security agencies, the military or secret services in combating terrorism or analyzing crime. Various software from the provider are now also used for data analysis in other sectors, such as healthcare or industry. German politicians have also become aware of the company. Since the summer of 2025, the Federal Ministry of the Interior under Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) has been examining the possibility of widespread use of the Palantir police program “Gotham”. (…) The name “Gotham” also has an epic template that is primarily familiar to comic fans: In the Batman series from the US comic publisher DC Comics, the city of Gotham is described as dark and riddled with crime. In any case, Dobrindt is aiming to equip federal authorities, such as the Federal Criminal Police Office, the Federal Police or Customs, with Palantir software. The goal: With the help of Palantir, crimes should be discovered more quickly or even prevented. (…)
    Basically, the way Palantir works can be compared to a Google search in a very simplified way. Large amounts of data from security authorities are compiled and made searchable using artificial intelligence. Not only data from convicted criminals or suspects are taken into account, but also from all people who have already been recorded in some form. Even if it was just a traffic ticket. For example, public social media posts, biometric data or toll data could also be included. However, this is currently not allowed in Germany. Martin Thüne, professor of criminology and police science, told the newspaper “taz” last year: “Nobody seems to know exactly how the software works in detail and, above all, how it is secured.” (…)
    In 1983, in connection with the census, the Federal Constitutional Court actually stipulated that data may only be collected for specific purposes - such as the issue of criminal prosecution. General use of Palantir in Germany could eliminate exactly this earmarking. Because: The software could bring together data from numerous different data systems that police departments use across Germany and output cross-connections that would not be discoverable through human data analysis. (…) “The Federal Constitutional Court did not rule out the creation of a legal basis from the outset - however, this must have very narrow limits in order not to be unconstitutional.” According to Zöller, possible adjustment screws: The use of a smaller number of data pools, a strict authorization concept so that not all police officers can access the data, or not evaluating special data, such as biometric ones...” Article by Laura Czypull from February 2, 2026 at web.de 
• “Devastating risks”: After risk assessment of the use of Palantir software in Switzerland, the US company received a rejection – good enough for the German police
  • Switzerland: Palantir software has devastating risks
    "After risk assessment of the use of Palantir software in Switzerland, the US company was rejected, despite years of courting by authorities and the army. The risks are too great for the Swiss. This raises the question of why the Palantir software should be good enough for German police forces. Interior Minister Dobrindt will have to answer it.
    Palantir's boss, Alex Karp, also resides in a property in Switzerland. The US tech group has been expanding its analysis software business into Europe for several years. What could be better than offering the Palantir systems to the Swiss? This is exactly what the military-affiliated company tried to do for years - but it struggled. This is reported by the magazine “Republik” from Switzerland. With the help of 59 inquiries under the Public Information Act, the journalists used a readable analysis to understand how the company bugged public bodies in order to sell its software to the Swiss federal authorities and the military. (…) The analysis also contains one20-page Army internal evaluation report . It describes the advantages but also the risks of using Palantir, which ultimately led to the rejection of cooperation with the company. The military experts come to the conclusion that an outflow of data from the Palantir systems cannot be technically prevented. (…)
    Palantir software, like the one used by German police, connects heterogeneous databases and analyzes connections between data points or patterns in them. Previously fragmented data is merged. This makes connections between people visible and geographical movements traceable, for example. The evaluation report states the following about the risks to the data entered into the Palantir systems: Palantir is a company based in the USA, where there is the possibility that sensitive data can be viewed by the American government and secret services.
    The military's risk assessment points to further problem areas that Palantir's police contract partners in Germany are happy to explain away. The Palantir software leads to a dependency on the US provider, especially “on external, highly qualified personnel”. It is unclear whether “Palantir’s technical specialist staff will be required on-site on a permanent basis for the implementation, operation and maintenance of the systems”. There is also a risk of loss of data sovereignty and “national sovereignty”. The cost risk is also difficult to estimate because there are no price lists. This applies to the implementation and customization of the software and data migration, but also license fees and maintenance costs. “Exact amounts can only be determined through direct negotiations”. The report also problematizes the severe intrusions into privacy that arise from comprehensive data collection and analysis. Discrimination also plays a role, as it can happen that “certain people are inadvertently targeted due to statistical connections”. The Swiss Federal Armaments Office examined the use of Palantir software for a specific software system, the “Military Intelligence Service IT System”. There were specified criteria for this in the tender. One of them does not meet the Palantir offer. However, the office does not provide journalists with any information as to what the criterion was. The published letter consists almost entirely of redactions. (…)
    If the risks of cooperation in questions of data sovereignty and even long-term dependency, digital sovereignty, data outflow and encroachments on fundamental rights are assessed by the Swiss as so significant, the question arises as to why the German state police and state interior ministers come to a different assessment. It remains her secret…” Contribution by Constanze Kurz from December 8, 2025 in Netzpolitik.org , see:
  • How persistently Palantir courted Switzerland
    “The controversial tech company Palantir supplies surveillance technology to the military and secret services. But the local authorities and the army brushed it off. Internal documents now show why. Part 1 of the research by Adrienne Fichter, Marguerite Meyer, Lorenz Naegeli, Balz Oertli, Jennifer Steiner (text) and Klawe Rzeczy (illustration)on December 8th, 2025 in republic.ch 
  • Why Palantir is becoming a risk for Switzerland
    “Zurich serves the US company Palantir as a hub for its business relationships. Because of its controversial activities in Gaza, the Foreign Ministry is now also dealing with the company…” Part 2 of the research by Adrienne Fichter, Marguerite Meyer, Lorenz Naegeli, Balz Oertli, Jennifer Steiner (text) and Klawe Rzeczy (illustration)on December 9th, 2025 in republic.ch 
  • See the dossier on Palantir in the USA:Palantir & Co.: The digital deportation aides of the US immigration authority ICE
• Despite protests: The Baden-Württemberg state parliament decides to change the police law and use Palantir's data analysis software - NRW also wants to 
  • Despite massive criticism of US companies: State parliament decides to use controversial police software from Palantir
    “Despite public criticism and a petition, the state parliament decided to use data analysis software from Palantir. This required a change to the police law.The Baden-Württemberg state parliament decided on Wednesday to allow the police to use the analysis and research software “Gotham” from the company Palantir. In a corresponding vote, the majority of MPs voted in favor of changing the police law. With the American software “Gotham” the police will be able to evaluate data more quickly and prevent crimes in the future. Critics had feared dependence on the controversial US company. (…)
    The BW police will be allowed to use the US software Palantir from the second half of 2026, as the BW state parliament has decided. Previously there was massive criticism.
    BW state parliament decides to change the police law
    The Baden-Württemberg state parliament decided on Wednesday to allow the police to use the analysis and research software “Gotham” from the company Palantir. In a corresponding vote, the majority of MPs voted in favor of changing the police law. With the American software “Gotham” the police will be able to evaluate data more quickly and prevent crimes in the future. Critics had feared dependence on the controversial US company. (…)
    Skepticism about US software remains
    13,000 people in Baden-Württemberg had previously signed a petition against the use of the software. Green MPs also continue to be critical of the software. “We would rather not have a contract with Palantir,” said Oliver Hildenbrand, domestic policy spokesman for the Green Party. The CDU-led Interior Ministry had already concluded a contract with the US company in March, but without the consent of the green coalition partner. (…)The “Gotham” software is scheduled to be used by the police from the second quarter of 2026. In the vote on Wednesday, 113 members of the state parliament voted in favor of using the software. 22 voted against, one person abstained.”Article from November 12th, 2025 on SWR (“”)
    • See also the dossier:Baden-Württemberg Police Law: (Uniform) Green rules
  • NRW also wants to feed surveillance software with your data
    “In the future, the police in North Rhine-Westphalia will be allowed to use personal data such as real names or facial images to train surveillance software. The planned change in the law is part of similar projects in other federal states.Bayern probably gave the impetus. The state tested Palantir's surveillance software with real people's data and received a warning from the state data protection supervisory authority at the beginning of 2024. In January 2025, Hamburg passed a change in the law that allows the state police to train “learning IT systems” with personal data from bystanders. On Wednesday, Baden-Württemberg is expected to follow suit with a very similar change in the law. Next Thursday, an almost identical change in the law will be on the agenda in the state parliament of North Rhine-Westphalia. In North Rhine-Westphalia, too, clearly identifying information such as real names or facial images should be allowed to be fed into commercial surveillance software such as that from Palantir. This also makes it possible to train behavioral or facial recognition software. The state data protection officer Bettina Gayk writes in her statement on the draft law: “The proposed regulation addresses significant constitutional concerns.” For example, the use of data from people who end up in the police database as witnesses, victims or complainants is disproportionate. She also sees it as problematic when “products of commercial providers are improved with the help of government-collected and stored data”. (…) The respective legal changes in North Rhine-Westphalia, Baden-Württemberg and Hamburg are very similar.Accordingly, personal data may in future be used in all three countries to train surveillance software without anonymization or pseudonymization as soon as corresponding anonymization or pseudonymization is impossible or only possible with “disproportionate effort”. Whether the latter is true will probably be determined by a subjective assessment by the police. They may also use identifying information if unchanged data is necessary for the training purpose. (…) According to the state data protection officer of North Rhine-Westphalia, the exceptions to the obligation to anonymize and pseudonymize are so extensive that they “ultimately will not lead to any restrictions in practice”. It calls for the use of non-anonymized or pseudonymized data to be completely excluded…” Contribution by Martin Schwarzbeck from November 11, 2025 at Netzpolitik.org 
• No Palantir in Baden-Württemberg: Another nationwide rally in Stuttgart on November 2nd
  “On Sunday, November 2nd at 2:00 p.m. we will gather together on Rotebühl-Platz in Stuttgart to send a clear message: Don't put your foot in the door for Palantir's police software in Baden-Württemberg! Not now, not later. Our internal security and critical infrastructure must not become dependent on such shady companies. The state government is planning to introduce Palantir, a system that deeply intervenes in the privacy of citizens. This sets a dangerous precedent. We say: Protect fundamental rights instead of expanding surveillance!…”Alliance call in the protest alliance against the upcoming police reform and disproportionate surveillance.
• No Palantir in Baden-Württemberg! Petition and rally in Stuttgart on October 4th
  The BW government plans to use Palantir's police software, which deeply intrudes on privacy. Protect basic rights instead of expanding surveillance! See the promotions pagehttps://kein-palantir-bw.org/ to the rally in Stuttgart, Schloßplatz, on October 4th, 2:00 p.m. and:
  • Stuttgart: Alliance plans demonstration against Palantir use
    “Palantir's dragnet search software employs people in Baden-Württemberg. In Stuttgart, protests against the software and Trump loyalist Peter Thiel took to the streets at the beginning of October. An alliance wants to prevent the controversial software from being used by the police. (…) Now this discomfort is about to manifest itself as a protest on the streets for the first time. A“Alliance for the protection of fundamental rights through trustworthy and independent police IT” announced onSaturday, October 4th, in Stuttgart at Schlossplatz to demonstrate against the use of Thiel's software in Baden-Württemberg. The alliance is also mobilizing for onePetition against the Palantir deployment in the southwest …”Contribution by Markus Reuter from September 26th, 2025 at Netzpolitik 
  • The population research for the state and Tec-Bros in BaWü is coming
    “Palantir Gotham by Peter Thiel. A petition. A demonstration. First reading of a new police law
    The scandal in the green-black coalition was in March, when the CDU State Secretary in the Interior Ministry made an unsolicited commitment to Peter Thiel's spying software, Palantir-Gotham. Anyone who has one online on August 4th 2