‘Electronic identity will make life easier for Swiss Abroad’

The Swiss government wants to introduce a free, voluntary digital identity document. This will offer improved security and make it easier for Swiss citizens living abroad to exercise their political rights, say two guests on SWI swissinfo.ch’s Let’s Talk debate webcast. “The federal government has made a considerable effort to put forward an electronic identity [e-ID] project that ensures better data protection,” says Lennig Pedron, the executive director of Trust Valley, a public-private partnership for digital trust and cybersecurity based in the Lake Geneva region. In March 2021, Swiss voters rejected an initial e-ID scheme at the ballot box, mainly because of concerns over the centralisation of data and the involvement of private companies. Last November, the government approved the outlines of a new plan, this time entirely state-run. Pedron welcomes the efforts of the government to respond to the criticisms levelled two years ago. “The data will remain in the user’s...