With the introduction of new police software from the controversial US data company Palantir, more and more criticism germinated in the opposition. The Ministry and the State Criminal Police Office recently announced that a system from Palantir’s German subsidiary had been awarded the contract for the “procedural research and analysis system” (Vera). After the Europe-wide tender by the LKA, “only” Palantir met the criteria, said Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann (CSU). Through a framework agreement with the company, the Free State may become a pioneer for other federal states. Crime is becoming “more complex and digital”, reported the LKA, it is about efficiency and acceleration of police work.
Vera should link existing information from different databases – no new data would be collected. The system is only intended for serious crime and terrorism. Herrmann announced: First of all, the software will be checked by an independent German research institute, and the state parliament will also be involved in the internal committee for approval.
The plenum has now set the course for this, and an application from the government factions CSU and FW has been sent to the interior committee. Since data protection and the protection of fundamental rights are “extremely important”, the ministry should report on the external audit. In addition, it should be checked whether a separate legal basis is required for the software; also based on the statement of the state commissioner for data protection, Thomas Petri. He imagines “a massive encroachment on fundamental rights” because new methods are being used across files and processes. Accordingly, specially processed data are to be seen as new data.
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This is also the opinion of the FDP, whose application to stop the project also goes to the committee: Vera should be re-advertised. If one uses data not only for the purpose for which they were collected, that is inadmissible. “The state government must also consider whether it is wise to trust the Palantir company.” The parent company works for US secret services, data from Europe could leak. The liberals are also critical of the fact that Palantir was founded by billionaire Peter Thiel, who helped finance Donald Trump’s election campaign.
The SPD also has concerns: the “assurance that the data linking should only take place to combat serious crime and terrorism is honorable, but unsuitable under the rule of law”. There had already been debates about Vera last year. The Greens had insisted on the protection of sensitive data, and the AfD had called for parliamentary participation.