In a report published on MondayExternal link, the service described how – in special cases requiring permission – it had taken advantage of the option to monitor mobile phones, hack computers and use tracking devices or bugs to watch certain people and places.
In the first four months, the service employed such methods 40 times as part of four operations. Two were related to terrorism, and the other two had to do with illegal surveillance.
The monitoring measures must be approved by the Federal Administrative CourtExternal link and Defence Minister Guy Parmelin, who has to discuss them in advance with Justice Minister Simonetta Sommaruga and Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis.
The law also provides access to internet communication data, but the technology is still being developed. As Parmelin said in the report’s forward, these forms of surveillance will only be used when there is a serious security threat.
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Swiss intelligence says 100 people pose ‘high risk’ to security
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The number of “people at risk”, representing a high security threat, has risen by 10 to 100 since the last figures were presented by the FIS in May. Those identified as posing a high security risk to Switzerland include not just potential jihadists but also those who support or encourage terrorism and any kind of…
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Swiss citizens will also participate in flotilla against Gaza blockade
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Swiss citizens are also taking part in the worldwide flotilla that intends to break the sea blockade in Gaza. The Waves of Freedom Association (WOFA) plans to leave with five boats loaded with baby milk powder and water filters.
Switzerland commemorates Italian partisans who died escaping fascists
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Italian partisans tried to flee to Switzerland in October 1944. However, two died and a third was injured in a hail of bullets between their fascist pursuers and Swiss border guards in Ticino. They are now commemorated by so-called stumble stones.
Switzerland follows the EU with new sanctions against Russian oil
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Switzerland is stepping up its sanctions against Russia in the context of the war in Ukraine. The measures are aimed at Russia's oil windfall. The European Union (EU) approved the same package of sanctions, the 18th since the start of the war, in mid-July.
Swiss government makes a case for e-ID ahead of referendum
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The electronic-ID is secure and easy to use and its use is voluntary and free of charge: these are the arguments the government made in its campaign for a 'Yes' vote on the e-ID Act slated for September 28.
Switzerland trials muzzles and electric harps against Asian hornets
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Scientists have fitted several beehives in Cornol in canton Jura with electric harps and muzzles to electrocute and stop Asian hornets.
Record number of fawns saved by Swiss drone volunteers
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Thousands of fawns were saved from the blades of mowers thanks to volunteers equipped with drones with thermal imaging cameras.
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Houses and flats became more expensive again in the first half of the year. In the second quarter of 2025 in particular, momentum increased across Switzerland due to high demand and low interest rates.
Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof receives first Locarno City of Peace Award
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The new award was created to strengthen Locarno’s role as a symbol of dialogue and peaceful coexistence, and to mark the centenary of the 1925 Locarno Treaties – a crucial milestone in twentieth-century European diplomacy.
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Swiss intelligence services ignored spying laws
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A parliamentary oversight body says the Federal Intelligence Service (FIS) ignored regulations and badly managed a Swiss man they employed to spy on German tax authorities.
Switzerland is a favourite hub for foreign spies, reports paper
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Switzerland is reportedly a favoured meeting place for foreign secret service agents, but Swiss intelligence is keen to clamp down on the encounters.
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Presenting the cabinet’s proposed legislation on intelligence services, Defence Minister Ueli Maurer stressed on Wednesday that any such intervention would require approval from cabinet members and judges on a case-by-case basis. He said the procedure would only be implemented in about ten cases a year and checks by parliamentary and administrative bodies would be increased.…
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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.