Challenge to the legality of disputed law enforcement technology - Lawsuit filed against disputed police technology software
In Bavaria, the use of Palantir's data analysis software, known as VeRA, has sparked a heated debate, with concerns about mass data mining, data protection violations, and constitutional non-compliance at the forefront.
The Gesellschaft fΓΌr Freiheitsrechte (GFF), a society for civil liberties, has filed a constitutional complaint against the Bavarian police's use of the software, arguing that it disregards established surveillance limits set by the Federal Constitutional Court. The complaint alleges that the mass evaluation of data violates the fundamental right to determine one's own data and the confidentiality of telecommunications.
The Chaos Computer Club (CCC) has also criticised the Bavarian police's reliance on VeRA, claiming that it makes the institution dependent on an intentionally opaque software, which raises concerns about transparency and accountability. The CCC argues that the extensive linking of diverse data types in Palantir amounts to mass surveillance techniques incompatible with constitutional rights.
The Bavarian State Criminal Police Office (LKA) defends the use of VeRA, stating that it is an ideal tool for the police, helping to prevent serious and very serious crimes such as terrorist attacks, organized drug trafficking, gang-related telephone fraud, sexual offenses, and child pornography. Around 200 analysts trained for this purpose work with the platform.
However, critics argue that the automated mass analysis of data covers an enormous number of people, linking previously separate datasets intended for different purposes, which raises serious privacy issues. They claim that this practice is inappropriate for everyday police use.
The LKA spokesman has assured that there have been no operational-disrupting technical malfunctions or data protection-related issues with VeRA. The Fraunhofer Institute for Secure Information Technology has also found no indications of hidden backdoors in the VeRA software's source code.
It is important to note that the program only has access to information that Bavaria's police has already collected. Many people whose data is recorded are not suspects but witnesses, victims, or informants. Requests from police officers for information that used to take several days can now be handled in "a few minutes" with VeRA.
The debate over VeRA's use extends beyond Bavaria, with other federal states also recently dealing with the use of the Palantir software. The Federal Constitutional Court is currently reviewing the software, following a complaint about the legality of its use. The court's decision could have far-reaching implications for the future of data analysis in law enforcement across Germany.
As the controversy continues, it is clear that the core issues are mass data collection and merging without adequate legal safeguards, lack of software transparency, and breaches of constitutional protections regarding privacy and surveillance. These concerns have prompted legal challenges to halt Palantir's integration into Bavarian police work.
- The community debate over the use of Palantir's data analysis software, VeRA, in Bavaria, encompasses concerns about mass data collection and merging, lack of software transparency, and potential breaches of constitutional protections for privacy and surveillance.
- Critics argue that the use of vocational training-equipped analysts in the Bavarian police for automated mass data analysis, which links previously separate datasets, raises serious privacy issues and is inappropriate for everyday police use.
- Beyond Bavaria, the legality of Palantir's software, VeRA, is under review by the Federal Constitutional Court, with the decision potentially having far-reaching implications for data analysis in law enforcement across Germany, particularly in relation to lifestyle, technology, general news, sports, and casino-and-gambling sectors.
