How Palantir Opponents Still Want to Stop the Software - German Petition Against U.S. Surveillance Software Gotham Gains 13,000 Signatures
An online petition against the use of the U.S. software Gotham in the Baden-Württemberg state parliament has gained significant traction, amassing over 13,000 signatures. This marks the first online petition to surpass the 10,000 signature threshold since the parliament allowed online petitions this summer. The petition will be publicly debated on Thursday in the Petitions Committee.
The petitioners demand that Gotham not be deployed and that subordinate authorities be prohibited from using it. They express concern over excessive data linkage and risks to personal freedoms, echoing warnings from privacy advocates. Gotham, an analytics platform developed by U.S. firm Palantir, aggregates and evaluates data from multiple sources.
The public debate will feature the petition initiator Sebastian Müller, representatives from the Chaos Computer Club, an IT security expert, and the state data protection commissioner. They will argue against the use of Palantir's software, citing data protection and personality rights concerns. Meanwhile, police in other German states have reported benefits from using the software.
The petitioners call for a 'data-minimizing, civil rights-friendly, and legally secure solution' to be incorporated into police legislation. The public hearing on November 6, 2025, will provide a platform for these arguments to be heard and debated, potentially influencing the parliament's decision on the use of Gotham.
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