Palantir in Baden-Württemberg: asvin founder Mirko Ross names the risk that gets overlooked

Almost 92 percent of Baden-Württemberg’s Green Party members voted against the use of Palantir’s “Gotham” software by the state police in a membership ballot. Minister President Cem Özdemir nevertheless intends to stick to the contract with the US company until a capable European alternative is available. Broadcaster SWR examined the debate – and spoke to our founder Mirko Ross.

Dependency is the real issue, not just data protection

Ross is clearly critical of Palantir’s deployment, but he also rejects the idea that a European solution could be brought up to the same level in the short term:

Palantir’s lead is the result of decades of experience with highly sensitive data.

For him, the decisive point lies elsewhere – anyone sourcing core security software from a single foreign provider creates a dependency with “incredible potential for blackmail”.

While the state government points to a lack of alternatives, German providers are coming forward with platforms that are ready for use.
The question, then, is less whether European options exist than how seriously anyone is looking for them.

For us at asvin, this is a familiar pattern: digital sovereignty is not decided by declarations of intent, but by who retains control over their own infrastructure when it matters. Today this concerns police software – tomorrow supply chains, industrial plants and critical infrastructure.

Full article at SWR (in German): Grüne sagen Nein zu Palantir

Vulnerable to Software Extortion: Why Mirko Ross Warns Against Palantir
Konrad Buck

Konrad Buck

Head of Press and Media Relations

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