Police Surveillance Tool: An Asset or a Hazard to Democracy? (Regarding Palantir spy program)
In the realm of digital subscriptions, M+ is making waves with its current Black Week Deal, offering a one-year subscription for just 52 €. New customers can even read M+ for 1 € for the first four weeks.
Meanwhile, the use of Palantir software in German policing presents opportunities for enhanced data analysis and crime solving, but also raises significant risks related to privacy and fundamental rights.
Opportunities for Enhanced Policing
Palantir’s software, notably Gotham, allows police to integrate and analyze large volumes of varied data efficiently. This capability helps identify patterns, track suspects, and predict criminal behaviour, as demonstrated in the rapid resolution of incidents like the 2024 Munich attack. The software enables simultaneously searching across multiple police and government databases, enabling connected insights that were previously difficult to obtain. Adoption in several German states (Bavaria, Hesse, North Rhine-Westphalia) shows a growing governmental belief in Palantir’s operational benefits.
Risks and Concerns
Privacy and fundamental rights concerns are paramount. The software analyzes data not only from suspects but also from witnesses, victims, and innocent individuals, potentially violating constitutional protections. Data protection advocates and civil rights organizations in Germany have filed constitutional complaints against its use due to massive data mining and opaque practices.
The software’s source code is proprietary and maintained on servers in Germany, but critics worry about potential transfer or access by US authorities, given Palantir’s US ownership and ties to US intelligence. This raises data sovereignty and privacy risks. Lack of independent democratic oversight and transparency complicate trust, especially with no open source code and the involvement of a foreign company with political affiliations.
German supervisory authorities have been criticized for insufficient critical oversight of data protection in cases involving emerging surveillance technologies, including Palantir.
Political and Legal Context
The political debate in Germany is deeply divided: conservative parties (CDU, CSU) support Palantir’s use for policing; left-leaning and green parties oppose it citing fundamental rights risks. Some deployments like in Baden-Württemberg faced criticism for contracts signed without clear legal grounds. Ongoing public and political debate during 2025 summer highlights concerns over balancing security benefits with privacy protections.
In summary, Palantir’s software offers powerful tools for data-driven policing in Germany, potentially improving law enforcement effectiveness. However, it carries considerable privacy risks, possible violations of fundamental rights, and challenges in democratic oversight due to its proprietary nature and US connections. These issues drive intense debate among politicians, civil rights groups, and data protection authorities, reflecting the tension between security objectives and privacy protection in German policing.
As for your M+ subscription, it comes with less advertising compared to regular subscriptions. The subscription grants access to all M+ articles and can be cancelled online at any time. After the first four weeks, the subscription cost is 7.90 € every four weeks. In the second year of the subscription, the cost is 79 €. The login page is available, and you can reset your password if needed.
Data-and-cloud-computing technology has revolutionized the field of policing with the use of Palantir's software Gotham, offering efficient data integration, analysis, and predictive capabilities. However, politics surrounding its adoption in Germany remains contentious due to concerns about privacy, fundamental rights violations, data sovereignty, and lack of independent democratic oversight.
){kind=link}