According to the police union, the license for the controversial police software “Hessendata” from the USA will probably expire next year. And then? Extend the contract with the US company Palantir in Hesse after a ten-year term? Or rely on a European solution like the federal government? These questions are bringing the debate about analysis software in Hesse back into focus. In a matter of seconds, she can search through huge amounts of data to search for criminals.
“I assume that there is almost certainly no way around a temporary contract extension for “Hessendata,” says the state head of the police union (GdP), Jens Mohrherr. There is still no comparably powerful alternative in Europe.
Union boss: No worse tools for police officers
In principle, the GdP is open to a European solution in the sense of “digital sovereignty”. But this should never lead to Hesse's police officers having to work with inferior tools. The manufacturer is interchangeable, but not the quality of the analysis tool.
Hesse's Interior Minister Roman Poseck (CDU) is also "very open" to a European solution - if it "offers comparable capabilities to Palantir". The level of security should not decrease, especially in view of “the current high threat situation”.
Only a few federal states rely on Palantir
In 2017, Hesse was the first federal state to introduce Palantir's analysis tool "Gotham" and called it "Hessendata" - according to insiders, possibly to keep the name of the controversial US AI company out of the political debate.
So far, only a few federal states have opted for American police software. This also includes Baden-Württemberg. During an internal vote by the Green Party, a large majority recently voted to stop the use of Palantir analyzes as quickly as possible. In their coalition agreement in Stuttgart, the Greens and the CDU had already agreed to work for a European solution - but only until 2030.
The co-founder of Palantir is US billionaire Peter Thiel, and the company's CEO is the other co-founder Alex Karp. Critics classify both as far right. In view of the tensions with the USA, IT specialists in Germany are increasingly concerned that political pressure could one day be exerted through blocked access to their own data or a remote shutdown of US software. There are also fears that local Palantir data could flow to the United States.
According to the State Criminal Police Office (LKA), the servers for “Hessendata” are located in the Hessian Data Processing Center (HZD) in Wiesbaden. There are “no options for diversion” there, the data is safe here.
Minister: “Hessendata” helped prevent terror
According to Poseck, the previous decision in favor of “Hessendata” was also the right one “from today’s perspective”. With their help, a terrorist attack could have been prevented. The software is now used on a daily basis, “for example in combating the sexual abuse of children, in investigating organized crime structures, for example in connection with contract killings, human trafficking, the most serious acts of violence or complex networks of perpetrators,” adds the top official of the state police.
But there are now “a number of promising developments at national and European levels that could possibly give Palantir a run for its money.” The federal government is also following this new dynamic of digital developments.
The federal government has never used Palantir analysis software for data protection, political and conceptual reasons. The USA, on the other hand, uses them in a variety of ways and, according to media reports, also in the Iran War.
According to Poseck, the Conference of Interior Ministers also agrees “that we should become more independent of non-European countries when it comes to security technology. This particularly applies to the sensitive digital area.” Europe's sovereignty in security matters is much more important today than when Hessendata was introduced in 2017.
“Europe has felt safe in the US for many years.”
«Europe has felt safe in the US for many years and has therefore become comfortable. Today we know that we ourselves have to be more active and, above all, faster,” says the state interior minister.
Regardless of what happens next with Palantir in Hesse, he warns against “burning bridges to the USA too quickly. Continued close cooperation in the security area with the USA is also in our own interest.”
British police are allowed to analyze more data sets
In 2023, the Federal Constitutional Court has already trimmed “Hessendata” a little. Innocent people involved in car accidents, for example, are no longer allowed to be included in the software. Other countries, such as Great Britain, allow Palantir to comb through far more data sets.
