Struggle over Palantir software for Gotham police departments: Controversy Erupts - Chaotic Gotham: Order in Disarray
In Baden-Württemberg, the highly anticipated deployment of Palantir's data analysis software, known as "Gotham," for police data analysis is currently on hold due to legal restrictions under the existing Police Act. Despite the state earmarking funds and planning for its introduction, the active use of the software for automated data analysis is pending until an amendment to the Police Act is passed [1].
The planned amendment to the Police Act is under consideration in 2025, but no exact timeline has been publicly disclosed. The broader German interior ministers’ conference has rejected a nationwide introduction of Palantir due to concerns over data sovereignty and foreign influence, favouring a European digitally sovereign solution instead [1]. This suggests that any legal amendment enabling Palantir's active use in Baden-Württemberg would likely undergo further political and legal scrutiny and may not occur imminently.
Meanwhile, other German states, including Bavaria, Hesse, and North Rhine-Westphalia, are already using Palantir's "Gotham" software. The company assures that it does not collect, sell, or process data for its own purposes [1]. In Bavaria alone, the police have employed Palantir's software 97 times since September.
In North Rhine-Westphalia, "Gotham" has reportedly played a central role in several past cases, including identifying a man accused of abusing a 13-year-old girl based on a nickname and a telephone number with fake ownership data. The software has also been praised for completing requests that officers previously needed several days to complete, now in a matter of minutes [1].
However, the Society for Civil Liberties has filed a constitutional complaint against the use of "Gotham" in Bavaria, arguing that the mass evaluation of data violates privacy rights. Data protection advocates have expressed concern about the potential flow of police data to the USA, but the Fraunhofer Institute found no indications of hidden backdoors in the software [1].
It is worth noting that the software only has access to information that the police already have, and many of the people whose data is recorded are not suspects but witnesses, victims, or informants. The contract between the state government in Baden-Württemberg and Palantir stipulates a five-year term, with an estimated cost of approximately 25 million euros over the period [1].
Despite the legal hurdles, the goal of using "Gotham" is to make investigators faster and more efficient in the fight against terrorists and other criminals. However, critics such as Green internal politician Oliver Hildenbrand have spoken out against the lack of a legal basis for data evaluation, referring to it as a "Palantir disaster." The SPD has also voiced concern, likening the situation to an "automobile purchase without a driver's license" [1].
"Gotham" allows for the evaluation and linking of millions of data from various sources, uncovering automated connections between people, places, and events from police databases and surveillance material. The contract between Palantir and Baden-Württemberg was signed in March, with Interior State Secretary Thomas Blenke (CDU) stating that the price would have doubled if the contract had not been signed then [1].
Regardless of the political and legal challenges, the use of "Gotham" continues to be a topic of intense debate, with its potential benefits and risks weighed against each other. The outcome of these discussions will undoubtedly shape the future of data analysis in law enforcement in Baden-Württemberg and beyond.
[1] Source: Various news outlets and official statements.
- Notwithstanding the legal constraints, other German states such as Bavaria, Hesse, and North Rhine-Westphalia have already employed Palantir's "Gotham" software, highlighting the need for an amendment to the Police Act in Baden-Württemberg to facilitate its active use.
- The planned amendment to the Police Act is under consideration in 2025, and the German interior ministers’ conference's rejection of a nationwide Palantir introduction signifies that any legal changes enabling the software's use would likely undergo extensive political and legal scrutiny.
