The government’s recommended law changes would require encrypted messaging services, such as Threema, WhatsApp, and Proton, to identify and retain user data.
This is “clearly a major violation of the right to privacy,” Proton founder Andy Yen told Swiss public broadcaster RTS.
“This revision attempts to implement something that has been deemed illegal in the European Union and the United States.”
Yen believes such measures would harm Switzerland’s reputation and its ability to compete internationally. This would in turn force Proton, an encrypted email service that boasts 100 million users, to review whether it wants to stay in Geneva.
“I think we would have no choice but to leave Switzerland,” said Yen. “The law would become almost identical to the one in force today in Russia. It’s an untenable situation.”
“We would be less confidential as a company in Switzerland than Google based in the United States. That would be impossible for our business model.”
Yen appealed to Bern to show more common sense when updating surveillance laws.
The Swiss government’s update of two ordinances on data surveillance is also causing a stir in political circles.
More
More
Swiss surveillance operations escalating rapidly
This content was published on
Swiss law enforcement and secret service order twice as many surveillance sweeps of the telecommunications network in 2024.
We select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate them into English. A journalist then reviews the translation for clarity and accuracy before publication. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles. The news stories we select have been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team from news agencies such as Bloomberg or Keystone.
Did you find this explanation helpful? Please fill out the short survey below to help us understand your needs.
Train vs plane: would you take a direct train between London and Geneva?
Eurostar is planning to run direct trains from Britain to Germany and Switzerland from the early 2030s. Would you favour the train over the plane? If not, why not?
Demand remains high for rental flats in Switzerland
This content was published on
More rental flats are once again being advertised on property portals in Switzerland. However, demand also remains very high.
One in five Europeans exposed to too much traffic noise
This content was published on
More than one in five Europeans are exposed to unhealthily high levels of traffic noise, according to the European Environment Agency (EEA).
New living space through densification often comes at expense of the poor
This content was published on
If demolition and new construction are carried out and tenants have to make way, low-income households are affected more often than average.
This content was published on
The ceasefire in the Iran-Israel war has visibly eased tensions on the financial markets. The SMI, Switzerland's leading stock market index, has risen above the 12,000 point mark again.
This content was published on
Geneva, which is facing several days of very hot weather, has raised its level of vigilance with regard to the risk of forest fires and is issuing an appeal for caution.
Zurich arbitration authority rules in favour of tenants of ‘Sugus Houses’
This content was published on
A conciliation authority says the terminations of 105 flat leases in the so-called "Sugus Houses" in the centre of Zurich were abusive. The tenants therefore do not have to move out - at least for the time being.
This content was published on
Visitors to Switzerland spent CHF19.6 billion ($23.9 billion) last year, a 2.2% rise compared to the previous year, the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) said on Monday.
This content was published on
Despite the current tense economic situation, Swiss consumer sentiment remains positive. The Swiss spent more money in May than the previous year, particularly on restaurant visits and leisure activities, as shown by the latest figures released by PostFinance.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.