1. BfV President Cautious on US Software, Urges European Alternatives

• European Alternatives for Data Analysis
• Office for the Protection of the Constitution to Get More Powers Soon
• Federal Trojan Against Spies
• President of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution does not believe in a break with the USA

In the debate surrounding analysis software for security authorities, the President of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), Sinan Selen, is showing extreme caution regarding the use of US software like Palantir. Europe must also offer alternatives, Selen said on Monday at the start of the BfV’s 21st symposium in Berlin.

Politics must consider three factors when selecting software, Selen said: what a solution can contribute to security, how performant it is, but also whether it is "geostrategically correct." The federal government has set European resilience as a clear goal. "Ultimately, we must be able to offer alternatives," Selen said. "We are well advised to sharpen the European focus."

European Alternatives for Data Analysis

Recently, several federal states have opted for Palantir’s system as analysis software for the police or have created new legal frameworks for this or closely comparable software. After Hesse (Schwarz-Rot) and Bavaria (CSU/Freie Wähler), the green-black governed Baden-Württemberg recently decided to acquire the controversial Palantir software.

In North Rhine-Westphalia, governed by black-green, the state’s police law was significantly revised at the end of November. So far, only partial use of Palantir’s software was permitted there, which NRW had temporarily tested. With the new legal basis, North Rhine-Westphalian security authorities could use a large part of the features in the future; however, the state has not yet acquired a new permanent license.

The Ministry of the Interior in Düsseldorf had at least begun searching for alternatives: Cognyte, Datawalk, Innosystec, Linkurious, NuixChapsvision, Chapsvision, FSZ, and Quantexa were considered as possible alternatives, according to a parliamentary inquiry by SPD politician Christina Holtmann. In addition, there are several other providers of analysis software that are fundamentally suitable for merging data sources and evaluating them.

"We are not doing that badly in Germany and Europe," Selen emphasized. However, this should not be looked at on a country-by-country basis. It is about developing and further developing capabilities. "We have industries, we have companies that can do something like this," said the President of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution. "Perhaps they need to be supported and considered a bit more."

Office for the Protection of the Constitution to Get More Powers Soon

Since the intelligence services and the Bundeswehr have been exempted from the debt brake since the constitutional amendment in spring, IT capacities are also being further upgraded here. This exception was justified by the threat situation posed by Russia. In return, the Office for the Protection of the Constitution is to receive not only more money, personnel, and technology but also expanded legal possibilities.

For the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, this would mean being able to use the capabilities necessary for its own tasks, said President Sinan Selen in Berlin. For him, the benchmark is what services in other European countries such as France or the Netherlands are allowed to do.

In addition to access to data from IP data retention, which the current federal government wants to reintroduce, this includes, among other things, powers for source telecommunications surveillance. "We have communication that we can no longer decrypt in parts," Selen said. The Office for the Protection of the Constitution must be able to penetrate group communication, for example, to fulfill its tasks.

Federal Trojan Against Spies

And a lot is currently happening behind closed doors. Philipp Wolff, head of department 7 in the Federal Chancellery, which is responsible for intelligence services, called it absurd if German intelligence services were allowed to eavesdrop on a Russian agent’s phone in the Czech Republic. However, this was impermissible as soon as he entered Germany. Before his role in overseeing intelligence services, Wolff himself was the Vice President of the Federal Intelligence Service (BND), responsible for foreign intelligence.

With a planned legislative amendment for the first quarter of 2026, the rules are also to be revised accordingly for the German domestic intelligence service. Supervision is also to be further centralized – even under the traffic light coalition. Data protection supervision was to be transferred from the Federal Commissioner for Data Protection to the so-called Independent Control Body for Intelligence Services, but the corresponding legislative amendment fell victim to the end of the traffic light coalition.

President of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution does not believe in a break with the USA

At the symposium of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution in Berlin, none of the officials publicly questioned the reliability of the USA as a partner. He does not believe "that our partners will break with us," said Selen, whose federal office is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year and has a rather eventful history.

But between the lines, it was more than clear: The firm belief that the USA will adhere to the previous rules has become more fragile, even in these circles historically very connected to the United States.

"We will adhere to rules," Wolff announced and asked for trust in the intelligence services, which are currently primarily dealing with Moscow. "The rules must be designed so that they work – with an adversary who does not adhere to rules."

For him, it is a matter of course, Selen emphasized, to receive powers temporarily and to question their necessity himself. "Of course, we must always review this – also from an efficiency perspective."

(vbr)

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This article was originally published in German. It was translated with technical assistance and editorially reviewed before publication.