Public to be informed about data abuse
Switzerland’s data protection and information commissioner says he wants to inform the public about the misuse and abuse of personal digital data, for example concerning election manipulation.
Adrian Lobsiger said on Monday that in the digital world people try to influence voters via digital means. That’s to be expected, he said. What is problematic, in his opinion, is when a person’s information is used without their agreement for political purposes.
He gave the example of the “unwarranted access” to personal data of Facebook users for the British firm Cambridge Analytica in the run-up to the US election and Brexit vote.
+Is Switzerland also vulnerable to Facebook manipulation?
Therefore, ahead of parliamentary elections next year, Lobsiger wants to make the public aware of the various methods of using personal data in Switzerland.
Contact will be made between now and then with the operating authorities of various social media networks. But social networks are not the only area of focus – political parties, unions and economic associations could get actively involved, Lobsiger said.
More
Restoring people power to personal data
In compliance with the JTI standards
More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative
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.