In July 2020, a group started gathering signatures to launch a public vote to ban Switzerland’s Covid-19 contact tracing app.
To launch a referendum in Switzerland organisers must collect 50,000 signatures from eligible voters within 100 days.
Organisers of the “Stop Swiss Covid” initiative had until 8 October 2020 to collect 50,000 signatures. According to RTS they failed to reach the required signature milestone. When this happens the vote fails to proceed.
The organising committee believes there are risks with the use of Bluetooth technology. In addition, it is concerned that data from the app must go through the operating systems of Google and Apple, which may skim off data.
The organisers claim there was no real debate about the risks it poses. National Councilor Jean-Luc Addor, a member of the Swiss People’s Party (UDC/SVP) and the only federal parliamentarian in the referendum organising committee, says that the group fears a “digital dictatorship”.
2.5 million people have downloaded the app.
More on this:
RTS article (in French) – Take a 5 minute French test now
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