With new analysis software for large databases, the police want to track down potential criminals more quickly – but at what price? Critics fear that the computer program will quickly become a data octopus and will not stop at innocent people.
In order to achieve strict requirements for use, they sued in Karlsruhe. On Thursday (10 a.m.) the Federal Constitutional Court will announce its verdict.
The software is already in use in Hesse and North Rhine-Westphalia, and Bavaria is working on its introduction. Other countries could soon follow, because Bavaria has signed a framework agreement with the US company Palantir. This means that all federal and state police forces can adopt the system without additional procurement procedures.
There is a risk that external data could also flow into the system
The program combs through databases to discover cross-connections that investigators might otherwise never notice. At the Karlsruhe hearing on December 20, a department head at the Hessian State Criminal Police Office described how this had made it possible to make an arrest shortly before the major raid on so-called Reich citizens: Thanks to Hessendata – the name of the software – it was noticed that a number from a telephone surveillance system once reported in a traffic accident. In this way, the whereabouts and personal details could have been determined.
Initially, only data from the police database is evaluated. However, one of the databases also includes victims and witnesses – or someone who once reported a scratch on their car. The Society for Freedom Rights (GFF), which initiated the review in Karlsruhe, also sees the risk that external data will also flow in, for example from social networks. The system invites you to feed in more and more information.
Hesse’s Interior Minister Peter Beuth (CDU) had assured the judges of the First Senate that there was no connection to the Internet and no automated access to data from social networks. Before the hearing, he told journalists that data could also be leaked from outside under certain conditions. But that is the exception and not the rule.
Too many police officers currently have access to the data system
Hessendata is used in particular to combat terrorism, organized crime and child pornography. With around 14,000 queries a year, more than 2,000 police officers across the country work with the system. These are only activated for their area of responsibility. In the opinion of the responsible data protection officers, there are still too many. And if it were extended to other states and the federal government, many more bodies could probably access a lot more data in the future.
The GFF also criticizes that the legal basis for using the software is extremely vague and leaves many questions unanswered. The judges could possibly ask for improvements here.
The verdict relates to Hesse and Hamburg, where there is already a legal basis for the possible use of the software. In terms of content, it is exclusively about use for the preventive fight against criminal offenses. Journalists, lawyers and activists appear as plaintiffs. A third constitutional complaint by the GFF about the NRW software from the autumn was no longer considered in the proceedings. (dpa)
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