Direction decision on the E-ID
The principles for the design of a future state proof of identity (e-ID) have been defined. The state E-ID should give users the greatest possible control over their data. It could be available to public and private bodies as proof of identity for various applications, as the Federal Council writes. The draft of the new E-ID law is due to go out for consultation in mid-2022.
On 7 March 2021, the Swiss people rejected the Federal Act on Electronic Identification Services. As a result, an informal public consultation was held from 2 September to 14 October 2021. According to the information provided, around 60 comments were received.
Focus on data protection and data sovereignty
Based on the results of the consultation, the Federal Council has defined principles for the design of a future state E-ID: Users of the e-ID should have the greatest possible control over their data (self-sovereign identity). Data protection should be ensured, among other things, by the system itself (privacy by design), but also by minimising the necessary data flows (principle of data economy) and decentralised data storage.
The e-ID is to be based on a state-operated infrastructure, according to the report. It could be available to public and private bodies for issuing various digital credentials. The expansion could take place gradually. Examples of applications include extracts from criminal records, driving licences, university diplomas or medical prescriptions. Pilot projects are being discussed for individual possible applications: For example, the Federal Roads Office and the Association of Road Traffic Offices would like to launch an electronic driver's licence. The Federal Chancellery, in turn, is examining the feasibility of a new electronic ID card for federal employees (proof of concept ePerso) in collaboration with the Federal Personnel Office.
Draft legislation by mid-2022
With this decision, the Federal Council is also taking into account the demands of various parliamentary initiatives. As part of the preparation of the consultation draft, various points such as the issuing process and the scope of the operation of the e-ID infrastructure by the state would be examined in detail. In addition, the various aspects of data protection and data security would be worked out with experts from the scientific community. Technological developments will be taken into account by formulating the law in a technology-neutral manner. The consultation on the new law is expected to be opened in mid-2022.
Source: Confederation
