Saxony-Anhalt plans to use Palantir: Data protection advocates warn against surveillance!

Saxony-Anhalt plans to use Palantir: Data protection advocates warn against surveillance!

The discussion about the use of the controversial data analysis platform Palantir in the German police is gaining momentum. The CDU-led Ministry of the Interior in Saxony-Anhalt is particularly causing a stir with a new draft law that provides for the introduction of software for police work. While software-supported analysis is already established in Hesse, North Rhine-Westphalia and Bavaria, Saxony-Anhalt's plans have been criticized. MDR reports that experts consider the legal framework to be problematic and question the necessity of such a solution.

Palantir, with a market value of around $300 billion, was founded in 2003 and specializes in analyzing large amounts of data that it can automatically link from various sources. The software is used not only in the area of ​​combating crime, but also in countering terrorism and in the health sector. The software is nicknamed “Gotham” in Germany, while the Bavarian police have been using the platform under the name “VeRA” since 2024. Deutschlandfunk highlights that police use has been taking place in Hesse, the first federal state with Palantir, since 2017.

Privacy and surveillance concerns

The introduction of the software in Saxony-Anhalt is not only met with political opposition, but also with resistance from data protection activists and civil rights activists. Eva von Angern, the head of the left-wing faction, describes Palantir as a “data octopus” and questions the need to go its own way in Saxony-Anhalt. Sebastian Striegel from the Greens is also skeptical and advocates the analysis of large amounts of data, but not with Palantir. MDR particularly highlights the fears of a possible surveillance state that critics cite regarding the use of the software.

A central point of criticism is the risk of data misuse and the impact on the fundamental right to informational self-determination. For example, uninvolved people accessed Palantir's analysis systems without their knowledge through radio cell queries. Network politics describes that these and other data protection concerns have already been discussed in an oral hearing.

Temporary solutions and a long road to efficient police work

On March 21, 2025, the Federal Council called for the creation of a platform for automated data analyzes for police work in the federal states. Despite the demands, there has not yet been any significant progress in the development of alternative software solutions. The Federal Ministry of the Interior currently does not see any suitable European or open source alternatives to Palantir. Deutschlandfunk reports that there are already constitutional challenges against police laws that require the use of Palantir.

While individual federal states such as Berlin and Baden-Württemberg are still examining options, it remains to be seen how the situation will develop in Saxony-Anhalt and other federal states. Despite the extensive criticism, the software could remain an interim solution for the time being, as the challenges in modern police work should not be underestimated.