Swiss voters narrowly approve of the plan to introduce digital identifiers

Swiss voters narrowly approved a plan aimed at introducing voluntary electronic identity cards.

With all the votes counted, 50.4% of those who voted said yes to the proposal, while 49.6% rejected it.

The proximity of the ballot is a surprise. Opinion surveys had suggested up to 60% supported digital identity, which also had the approval of the Swiss government, and the two chambers of Parliament.

It was Switzerland’s second vote on digital identifiers. A previous proposal was rejected in 2021, in the midst of the concerns that the data would be held centralized and largely controlled by private providers.

Sunday’s revised proposal maintains the system in the hands of the government. Data will be stored only on individual user smartphones, and digital IDs will be optional.

Citizens can continue to use the national identity card if they wish, which has been standard for decades in Switzerland.

To further facilitate confidentiality problems, a particular authority looking for information on a person – such as proof of age or nationality, for example – will not be able to check these specific details.

It occurs after the British government announced plans earlier this week to introduce its own digital identity document – which would be compulsory for employment – as part of efforts to limit the number of illegal migrants living and working in the country.

The proposed British digital ID would have less planned than the Swiss version, but has always raised concerns about confidentiality and data security.

Supporters of the Swiss system say that it will make life much easier to everyone, allowing a range of bureaucratic procedures – to obtain a telephone contract to prove that you are old enough to buy a bottle of wine – to occur quickly online.

Opponents of digital identity cards, who have gathered enough signatures to force another referendum on the issue, argue that the measure could still undermine individual privacy.

They also fear that, despite the new restrictions on how the data is collected and stored, it could always be used to follow people and for marketing purposes.

Switzerland has a long tradition to protect the privacy of its citizens. The laws on banking secrecy, now very diluted, have been designed to protect the personal finances of an individual from the prying eyes of the state.

For years, Google Street View has been controversial in Switzerland – and even today, following a decision by the Swiss Federal Court, images taken near schools, women’s shelters, hospitals or prisons must be automatically blurred before going online.