An application by three German states to use analysis software from US company Palantir in police authorities nationwide has failed. The interior ministers of Hesse, Bavaria and North Rhine-Westphalia had hoped to implement the Bavarian police’s “interdisciplinary research and analysis platform” (VeRA) using Palantir’s Gotham big data software. However, the interior ministers of Baden-Württemberg and Schleswig-Holstein did not support the proposal. VeRA, as well as HessenData and the North Rhine-Westphalia police force’s cross-database analysis and evaluation (DAR) system, all rely on Palantir software. In February, the Federal Constitutional Court declared the automated data analysis used by the police in Hesse and Hamburg to be unconstitutional, causing politicians to reconsider their use of Palantir. The CDU-led interior ministries expressed opposition to a contract with Palantir, while the SPD-led interior ministries are also moving away from the company. The Federal Ministry of the Interior has rejected Palantir and is now seeking a manufacturer-independent application for VeRA. The federal and state governments have been working on the police information and analysis network (PIAV) and the IT project Police 2020 to consolidate data from law enforcement agencies. Alternatives to Palantir systems are now being explored.
