Telecommunications monitoring measures, carried out by the authorities mainly to investigate serious crimes, increased by 27% last year mostly due to an increase in mobile phone antenna searches.
This content was published on
1 minute
swissinfo.ch/ac
The number of real-time monitoring measures increased to 1,218 in 2022 compared to 1,055 the previous year. Retrospective monitoring of communications up to six months rose from 6,265 to 8,114 in 2022, the Post and Telecommunications Monitoring Service revealed on Friday.
This rise in surveillance is due above all to the sharp increase in the number of mobile phone antenna searches, which almost doubled in one year.
“A third of all surveillance measures (real-time and retrospective surveillance) were ordered to investigate property crime. A quarter of the measures were carried out to identify serious violations of the Narcotics Act and almost 9% for emergency searches,” an official statementExternal link said.
Only around 5% of measures involved offences relating to physical injury or unlawful detention. Communications surveillance measures are mainly ordered to investigate serious crimes. They can be ordered either by the prosecution authorities or by the Federal Intelligence Service (FIS). Once approved, they are implemented by the Post and Telecommunications Monitoring Service.
Popular Stories
More
Banking & Fintech
UBS releases ‘hundreds’ of staff in fresh wave of job cuts
Should Switzerland take measures to support its struggling industries?
Industrial policies are back in fashion, not only in the United States but also in the EU. Should Switzerland, where various industries are struggling, draw inspiration from such policies?
Swiss multinational SGS to move HQ from Geneva to Zug
This content was published on
The Swiss multinational SGS, the world’s leading testing, inspection and certification company, plans to move its headquarters from Geneva to canton Zug in central Switzerland.
Swiss army takes part in international tank competition
This content was published on
Around 20 Swiss army personnel and two Leopard 2 tanks are taking part in an international tank competition in Grafenwöhr, Germany, this week.
Omega-3 supplements seem to slow ageing process, Swiss study finds
This content was published on
Taking a daily omega-3 supplement appears to slow down the rate of biological ageing by up to four months, according to a study by researchers at the University of Zurich.
This content was published on
The Swiss writer and translator Alain Claude Sulzer has been awarded the Solothurn Literary Days Prize 2025 for his lifetime's work.
Prix de Lausanne features 85 dancers from 23 countries
This content was published on
The 53rd Prix de Lausanne international ballet competition is underway. A total of 85 young dancers from 23 countries are competing in the Swiss city.
Swiss Solidarity charity collected CHF34 million in 2024
This content was published on
Swiss Solidarity, the humanitarian arm of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC), raised CHF34.4 million ($37.7 million) in donations in 2024 and spent CHF63 million on humanitarian projects.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.