From 2019, but still. And here is something a bit more recent about the glorious “swiss privacy” www.republik.ch/…/der-bund-ueberwacht-uns-alle

key points

  • New reporting based on documents and court records shows that since 2017, the internet traffic of Swiss citizens has been massively monitored and read when it crosses borders, which happens routinely even for communication within Switzerland.

  • The intelligence service’s claims that purely domestic Swiss internet traffic is not collected are highly questionable and false, given how internet routing actually works. Traffic flows across borders dynamically, not through static “cables” as claimed.

  • All data is stored and searched, including retrospectively, meaning the intelligence service builds an ever growing haystack of private communication to dig through. This includes communication from journalists and lawyers that should be protected.

  • In 2023, steps were taken to expand monitoring further by requiring more Swiss internet providers to enable access to their infrastructure, including providers that don’t directly deal with cross-border traffic. This contradicts previous claims about how the monitoring would work.

  • Critics argue this invalidates assurances given earlier by the government and intelligence officials and constitutes mass surveillance that violates civil liberties. There are plans in 2024 to revise the intelligence law again, possibly to retroactively legalize monitoring practices already occurring.