This week, the Federal Council passed a plan to parliament to collect and provide passenger data to the police, reported SRF.
The proposed law aims to make it easier for the authorities to combat terrorism and serious crime. The law would regulate which passenger data airlines must pass on to the Federal Office of Police (Fedpol) and what the agency could do with it.
UN resolutions already mean 70 countries, including all EU countries as well as the USA and Canada, have introduced a system to exchange and process air passenger data. This makes Switzerland the odd one out in Europe.
Without the proposed plan Switzerland would face economic disadvantages, said Federal Councillor Beat Jans. Swiss airlines risk being fined abroad and could even lose landing rights, he said. Criminals can circumvent existing systems in the Schengen zone by flying to Switzerland and continuing to EU destinations by land.
Under the proposal, data may not be stored for longer than six months, unless it shows evidence of terrorism or serious crime – then it can be stored for five years. Data would also be anonymised after one month.
Politicians on both the left and right have voiced scepticism. Some on the left feel the data collection goes too far. Collecting and storing data on everyone when there is no suspicion of wrongdoing is problematic. On the right there are concerns related to bureaucracy and fundamental rights.
The plan will now be discussed in parliament.
More on this:
SRF article (in German)
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