Privacy Icons: Privacy road signs
A visual language for data protection: Pictograms, so-called privacy icons, depict individual aspects of data processing in a simple and understandable way and thus increase transparency in data protection. They were developed by leading Swiss companies and are now available free of charge.
Most people agree: data protection is important and one's own data should be well protected. Nevertheless, hardly anyone reads data protection notices. This is not surprising, because privacy notices are usually long and difficult to understand texts. According to a study by the New York Times, many privacy notices are more difficult to read than Immanuel Kant's work "Critique of Pure Reason".
With privacy icons for more comprehensibility
Many users are overwhelmed with the reading of privacy statements. The association Privacy Icons wants to change this. The association of renowned Swiss companies aims to make data protection notices more comprehensible and to increase transparency in data protection. Its foundation goes back to an event for collaborative innovation by digitalswitzerland. The association is currently made up of BKW, Credit Suisse, Julius Baer, Migros, SBB, Swisscom, Zurich Insurance, the University of Zurich and the law firm Wenger & Vieli.
"Who uses my personal data for what purpose? People should be able to see that at a glance," thinks Florent Thouvenin, professor of information and communication law at the University of Zurich and initiator of the pictograms, which are intended to make data protection more comprehensible. "That's why we developed the 19 Privacy Icons."
Switzerland as a pioneer
Not only are privacy statements often difficult to understand, there is also no uniformity between companies. "The Privacy Icons offer the opportunity to establish a standard in Switzerland - as road signs for data protection, so to speak. This is unique worldwide," says Matthias Glatthaar, co-president of the Privacy Icons association and data protection officer of the Federation of Migros Cooperatives. Data protection law is designed to help data subjects exercise control over the processing of their data. In order to do so, however, they must first be aware of what is happening with their data. For this reason, the Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner Adrian Lobsiger also welcomes the initiative: "The pictograms provide orientation and help to make abstract data protection declarations easier to understand, but they should not replace them. They promote transparency, which is one of the central concerns in data protection."
Leading companies set new standards
Migros, Swisscom, SBB and Credit Suisse have been supplementing their data protection notices with the new data protection pictograms since 30 November 2020. BKW and Zurich Insurance also plan to use these "road signs". "We invite all companies to use the Privacy Icons and thereby increase the user-friendliness of their privacy notices," says Juliette Hotz, co-president of the Privacy Icons association and Senior Counsel Data Governance at Swisscom. The Privacy Icons are freely available and can be used by companies that process personal data, here downloaded and used free of charge.
