Constitutional complaint filed against Palantir police software in Bavaria
A German civil rights organization filed a constitutional complaint against Bavaria's police use of Palantir's data analysis software, alleging it violates privacy rights and processes data on innocent bystanders without adequate safeguards. The complaint contends the software lacks transparent controls and protections against discrimination, and the case is now before the Federal Constitutional Court.
What happened
The Gesellschaft für Freiheitsrechte (GFF), a civil rights nonprofit, filed a constitutional complaint against Bavaria's use of Palantir's data analysis software (VeRA) by its police force. The Bavarian State Parliament enabled the software's use through amendments to the Police Tasks Act (PAG) in summer 2024, and police have deployed it for approximately one year.
The VeRA platform analyzes millions of data points from various sources already collected by Bavarian police, connecting information stored in different formats. According to the GFF, the software processes data on people who are not suspects, including witnesses, victims, and bystanders.
Reported impact
The GFF argues that mass data processing violates the fundamental right to informational self-determination and the secrecy of telecommunications. The organization contends that people who file reports, become crime victims, or happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time can come under police scrutiny through the software.
The GFF alleges the deployment lacks transparent controls, adequate safeguards against software errors, and protections against discrimination.
Index analysis
The Federal Constitutional Court set guidelines in early 2023 for deploying such analytical programs following complaints against similar rules in Hesse and Hamburg. The GFF contends that Bavaria's implementation does not comply with the court's established framework.
The Bavarian State Police Criminal Office states the software is used only for serious and severe crimes such as terrorism, organized drug trafficking, gang fraud, sexual offenses, and child pornography, and only to prevent potential crimes.
Governance controls
The complaint challenges the legal rules established by the Bavarian State Parliament in summer 2024 that enable Palantir software use. The GFF argues the framework lacks effective controls over deployment and does not ensure protection against software failures.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.