Germany, Hesse
Hessen Police
Data Integration and Link Analysis (Palantir Gotham), supplied by Palantir Technologies
OperationalJournalismPAI-A98DEB5A
- Body
- Hessen Police
- Country
- Germany
- Area
- Hesse
- Technology
- Data Integration and Link Analysis (Palantir Gotham)
- Supplier
- Palantir Technologies
- Programme
- hessenDATA
- Status
- Operational
In routine use by the named body, on the evidence of a public source. - Stage
- In use now
- Since
- 2017
- Legal basis
- State police laws. On 16 February 2023 the Federal Constitutional Court held the enabling provisions in Hessian and Hamburg police law unconstitutional in their then form, ruling that automated analysis of stored data is itself an interference with informational self-determination requiring a proportionate legal threshold.
- Oversight
- Federal Constitutional Court; state legislatures and state data protection authorities
- Evidence
- Journalism
Named reporting by a reputable outlet - Source
- netzpolitik.org, 15 October 2026
- Last checked
- Record code
PAI-A98DEB5A
Notes
Hesse has operated hessenDATA, built on Palantir Gotham, since 2017, with automated access to police information, case management and preventive data systems, telecoms and radio-cell data, mobile phone forensic extractions and police telex traffic, plus social network data subject to prior court order. The Federal Constitutional Court described the capability as able to generate new suspicions and information police had no prior grounds to hold, and in February 2023 struck down the Hesse and Hamburg provisions as drafted (1 BvR 1547/19).
Update, November 2026. netzpolitik.org (15 October 2026) lists hessenDATA as procured in 2017, with no information given on its costs (the state cites the protection of trade secrets and procurement-law confidentiality). In May 2025 the Hessian interior minister, Roman Poseck, said dropping the software was not an option because of possible data risks, and that no equivalent European product had been found (hessenschau.de, 9 May 2025). The Gesellschaft für Freiheitsrechte brought a new constitutional complaint against the reformed Hessian police law in June 2024 (netzpolitik.org, 25 June 2024); no ruling has been found. No end of use is reported.
Other systems used by Hessen Police
| Deployment | Country | Supplier | Since | Status | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hessen PoliceAI-supported real-time biometric identification | GermanyFrankfurt am Main (Bahnhofsviertel), Hesse | Not specified in the source | 2025 | Operational |
Data Integration and Link Analysis (Palantir Gotham) elsewhere in Germany
See them in the tracker| Deployment | Country | Supplier | Since | Status | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bavarian State PoliceData Integration and Link Analysis (Palantir Gotham) | GermanyBavaria | Palantir Technologies | 2024 | Operational | |
| North Rhine-Westphalia PoliceData Integration and Link Analysis (Palantir Gotham) | GermanyNorth Rhine-Westphalia | Palantir Technologies | 2019 | Operational |