Palantir and the Police: How Surveillance Software Becomes a Threat to Civil Rights

Palantir in Germany is more than just a software provider. It symbolizes a quiet shift in the state: away from democratic control, towards data-driven surveillance by external tech corporations. And right in the middle of it all—German interior ministries spending millions on a system they neither understand nor control.

400,000 Euros Monthly for an Unused System

In Hesse, a contract with Palantir Technologies was signed, costing the state government around 400,000 euros per month—over five years. Without public tender. Without parliamentary oversight. And without productive use. The deployment of the surveillance software Gotham was halted after the Federal Constitutional Court in 2023 declared key regulations unconstitutional.

Nevertheless, Bavaria is now relying on this very software—a system that automatically consolidates and analyzes data from various police sources.

How Does Palantir Gotham Work?

Palantir’s software links data from:

• Case management systems
• Traffic accident files
• Information databases
• Witness statements and contact data

What emerges is a complete digital profile—even of people who were never under suspicion: witnesses, lawyers, doctors, journalists. Once recorded, individuals can be tracked in the future. The line between investigative work and general suspicion blurs.

Opacity as a Principle

The Palantir platform is a black box. There is no insight into the source code, no publicly accessible technical documentation, no traceable decision logic. Authorities do not know how Gotham weighs or combines data. Yet, they rely on its suggestions.

This technological opacity combined with vendor lock-in (once implemented, hardly removable) turns a tool into a system risk—strategically, legally, and democratically.

Data Protection vs. Cloud Act: Who Has Access to Our Data?

Palantir is a US company. Thus, it is subject to the Cloud Act—a US law that grants US authorities access to data, even if stored outside the USA. This means: There is no guarantee that personal data from Germany won’t end up in Washington.

Even if Palantir assures compliance with EU law—legally, this is not sufficient. Access can occur without German authorities being able to prevent or even notice it.

Who is Behind Palantir?

Peter Thiel, co-founder and major shareholder of Palantir, is not a neutral entrepreneur. He stands for a right-libertarian course, openly sympathizes with authoritarian regimes, and sees democratic processes primarily as an efficiency problem.

CEO Alexander Karp has also repeatedly stated that technology should not wait for political processes. Palantir was built with funds from the CIA-affiliated In-Q-Tel fund and worked closely with the US military and intelligence agencies.

Conclusion: A Dangerous Course—Under the Radar

The debate about Palantir is not just a technical one. It concerns democracy, the rule of law, and the question of whom we trust in digital administration. The use of Palantir in the police is not merely a software decision—it is a structural change in the relationship between citizens and the state.

Those who sacrifice civil rights for data linkage risk long-term trust in state institutions. And those who rely on opaque, foreign tech corporations relinquish control—not just technically, but politically. European cloud alternatives offer transparent and GDPR-compliant solutions.