Palantir: Dobrindt examines use of controversial US security software

Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) is reviewing the nationwide use of the controversial analytics software from the US company Palantir. A spokeswoman for the ministry confirmed in response to an inquiry from Stern magazine that this is "the subject of ongoing review." No results have yet been provided.

This has been criticized by the SPD and the Green Party. "He clearly sees himself as a lobbyist for a highly controversial US company," Green Party deputy parliamentary group leader Konstantin von Notz told the magazine. Especially in these times, when the US government is becoming increasingly unreliable, cooperation with a company like Palantir is out of the question.

SPD Bundestag member Johannes Schätzl criticized: "Palantir is not a neutral IT service provider, but a company with deep ties to US intelligence agencies and clear geopolitical interests." He strongly opposes the use of Palantir in German security agencies.

Jens Spahn, the leader of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, had already endorsed the use of the software in the newspaper "Stern" at the beginning of June. It would "greatly help" the police. Criminals would also use all digital possibilities, Spahn argued. "The state should keep pace with this, within the framework of the law, with its capabilities."

The company Palantir was founded in the USA in 2003 by, among others, tech billionaire Peter Thiel . He is known for his libertarian and right-wing conservative views, his closeness to US President Donald Trump, and his criticism of liberal democracies. Many in Europe therefore view Thiel with skepticism. Data protection advocates have also criticized the software.

On Tuesday, it was announced that the police in Baden-Württemberg would soon be using the software. The Green-Black coalition paved the way for this. The Hamburg Interior Ministry, however, ruled out its use in the city-state. Bavaria, Hesse, and North Rhine-Westphalia also rely on the software. The Society for Civil Rights (GFF) has filed a constitutional complaint against the legal regulations that allow the use of Palantir's cross-procedural research and analysis platform (VeRA) in Bavaria.