Internal security: Debate over Hessendata police software returns to focus

Hesse is again debating the future of Hessendata, the police analysis software supplied by the U.S. company Palantir. The system's license is expected to expire temporarily next year after a decade, forcing a choice between extending the contract and following the federal government's push for a European alternative.

The software can search huge volumes of data within seconds when investigators look for suspects. Jens Mohrherr, the Hesse chairman of the German police union, said a provisional extension was almost certainly unavoidable because Europe still has no alternative with comparable performance. “The manufacturer can be replaced, but not the quality of the analysis tool,” he said, arguing that digital sovereignty should not leave Hesse's police with inferior equipment.

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I assume that, with a probability bordering on certainty, there will be no way around a provisional extension of the Hessendata contract.

Interior Minister Roman Poseck also said he was very open to a European solution, provided it offered capabilities comparable to Palantir. He said the level of security must not fall, particularly given what he described as the current high threat situation.

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The manufacturer can be replaced, but not the quality of the analysis tool.

Hesse became the first German state to introduce Palantir's Gotham analysis tool in 2017, giving it the name Hessendata. Only a few states have adopted the U.S. police software, including Baden-Württemberg. A recent internal ballot among the Greens, who govern there, produced a large majority in favor of stopping Palantir's use as quickly as possible. The coalition agreement between the Greens and the CDU had already committed the state to pursuing a European solution, but only by 2030.

The debate also reflects concern about dependence on U.S. technology. German IT specialists fear that political pressure could one day be applied through blocked access to data or the remote shutdown of American software. Some also worry that Palantir data held in Germany could flow to the United States. Hesse's State Criminal Police Office says the Hessendata servers are located at the state's data-processing center in Wiesbaden, where there are no ways to transmit the data out.

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A new collective agreement for three locations with very different historical structures is a demanding task and should be a top priority for everyone involved.