Swiss Vote to Give Their Government More Spying Powers

[Exterminator]

Yesterday, on Sunday, Swiss voters decided with a 66.5 percent majority to give their own government more spying powers over their daily lives.

Last year, the country's parliament passed a law that allowed its secret service, FIS (Federal Intelligence Service), more powers to snoop on emails, tap phones, or use hidden cameras and microphones.

Such technologies and investigative procedures are common practice in other countries, but they have been outlawed by the strict Swiss government.

New surveillance law passed in 2015, implementation delayed
The law, which the government argued it was needed after the devastating Paris ISIS attacks, was contested by privacy groups and the Swiss leftist political parties, which delayed its implementation and forced it into a country-wide referendum that took place this Sunday.

The Swiss population made their voice heard over the weekend and concerned with the ever-increasing threat from terrorist groups have voted to sacrifice some of their privacy for the sake of security.

Switzerland, next to Germany and the northern Scandinavian countries, has some of the strictest privacy laws in Europe. So much so that it took Google years to get permission to map out the country via its Street View service.

Swiss secret service will need special authorization on a per-case basis
FIS, who handles both internal and external cyber-espionage operations, will need special authorization from a court, the defense ministry, and the cabinet if they are to launch internal surveillance operations.

According to SwissInfo, opponents of this law struggled in winning the older generation on their side, who mostly voted for the new surveillance laws.

The publication also noted the little attention the campaign got in the media, with most of the attention focusing on another topic included in the three-vote referendum, related to a 10 percent boost to the country's old age pension fund.

The population voted against an increase of the pension fund just because it would add an extra strain on the state's budget. The third issue was related to Switzerland increasing its green economy, which citizens also voted down.

Let's not make it political but focus on the Swiss voters who voted to give up some privacy rights for security as well as those who voted not to approve it for privacy concerns.

 

[hjlbx]

'Sniff It All, Collect It All, Know It All, Process It All, Exploit It All'

This invariably filters down to local police and other governmental agency investigations and unchecked, unmonitored, abusive spying on its own citizens - no matter what any government says. There is just so much potential for abuse and the circumventing of guaranteed citizen rights (if that country has a constitution that guarantees fundamental rights). It is just a matter of time; it might take a few years or a 100 years, but it will happen. It is the same the world over.

People who give their government greater powers to encroach upon their own freedom for the sake of greater "security" are fools...

I know, I'm American, and the US is comprised of the most foolish people with regard to the matter of governmental encroachment and the setting-aside of the constitution...

 

[Tony Cole]

Even I supposed "countries with free speech" doesn't exist, just they don't publish it.

 

[hjlbx]

Even I supposed "countries with free speech" doesn't exist, just they don't publish it.

Everything the US government does it learned from the forerunner of the UK's GCHQ... that process all started before WWI.

The US and UK governments put into place domestic spying programs during WWI - but stated those programs would be discontinued once hostilities ended.

Guess what... after WWI those programs were never discontinued. Some components went "inactive," but never formally and completely "dismantled."

Then not long after there was WWII - with even more extensive and complex domestic\foreign spying programs - which were the beginnings of GCHQ, MI5\MI6, NSA, CIA, etc.

Once individual freedoms are willingly surrendered by a citizen, then the citizen will never get them back completely...

 

[Tony Cole]

So the USA learnt from us/GCHQ?

 

[37507]

Does this mean anything for ProtonMail users? ProtonMail is based in Switzerland if I'm correct.

 

[hjlbx]

So the USA learnt from us/GCHQ?

Yes

Does this mean anything for ProtonMail users? ProtonMail is based in Switzerland if I'm correct.

Probably. You will have to read the entire Swiss law...

 

[bunchuu]

those tresorit guy can't use their marketing buzzword again ( we are under swiss privacy law etc)

 

[omidomi]

it seems we will said:good bye swiss base vpn

 

[Cats-4_Owners-2]

So the USA learnt from us/GCHQ?

The (American) Apples have not fallen far from The (British) Tree!

 

[CMLew]

Well, it's their (Swiss Citizens) decision. We can't do anything about that.

Flipping the coin both side; there can be good point as well. Putting privacy aside, national security could be further hardened.

Well, if it's between national security vs privacy of the social lives, which one you go for?

Anyway if you doesn't like "Swiss-made" then just delete/uninstall, and look for alternative.

 

[tonibalas]

I don't think they made the right choice.
If you are afraid about terrorist attacks don't give up your privacy.
Ask from the government to do more to protect you.