Switzerland has narrowly approved a controversial nationwide digital identification system, joining European neighbors in advancing policies critics warn could erode privacy and personal freedoms.
In a national referendum, voters backed the Federal Act on Electronic Identification Services by just 50.4 percent.
It marks the second time in four years that the issue has gone to a vote.
The slim margin highlights the country’s continued division over government-backed digital ID initiatives.
The Swiss Model
Unlike some European counterparts, Switzerland’s digital ID program will be issued exclusively by the government, provided free of charge, and kept strictly voluntary.
Officials stress that personal data will remain on individual smartphones rather than on a centralized government or commercial database.
Physical ID cards will continue to be valid, and officials have pitched the measure as a matter of convenience rather than surveillance.
Swiss lawmakers hailed the framework as a privacy-protecting alternative to the European Union’s European Digital Identity Wallet (EUDI).
The EUDI combines centralized and decentralized storage and has raised alarms about potential mass data aggregation.
Growing Pushback Across Europe
Still, skeptics caution that even “voluntary” programs can become de facto mandatory if tied to essential services.
Once these systems are in place, the danger is that governments or global institutions can gradually expand their use until opting out is no longer a real choice.
The concerns echo broader pushback in the UK.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s socialist government is moving forward with plans to make digital ID effectively required for employment.
The digital ID will be required for all citizens seeking employment or benefits, making it mandatory for most UK adults.
Civil liberties advocates warn that such policies risk locking citizens out of jobs and critical services.
A Divided Electorate
The referendum revealed sharp divides between urban centers and more conservative rural areas, where skepticism of government monitoring and globalist agendas runs deep.
Proponents argue the Swiss approach offers “unparalleled privacy by design,” contrasting it with centralized European models and portraying it as a safeguard against “social credit-style systems.”
But opponents see the vote as a warning signal.
The razor-thin approval margin, they say, reflects the unease many Europeans feel as governments tighten digital monitoring in the name of convenience.
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