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
Multinational companies
Azeri fossil-fuel cash cow brings controversy to Switzerland
Swiss price watchdog slams excessive prices for generic medicines
This content was published on
The cheapest generic medicines available in Switzerland are more than twice as expensive as in other countries, according to a study by the Swiss price watchdog.
Nature should not figure in net zero calculations: academic study
This content was published on
The natural removal of CO2 from the atmosphere by forests or oceans should not be included in the net-zero balance of climate protection measures, argue researchers.
This content was published on
None of the 15 major Swiss retail banks is meeting international climate and biodiversity targets, according to a ranking by WWF Switzerland.
This content was published on
Nestlé's new CEO Laurent Freixe, has presented plans for the future of the world's largest food company, after his first few weeks in office.
Swiss foreign minister calls on Moscow to end Ukraine war
This content was published on
It's high time Moscow ended its war against Ukraine, Swiss foreign minister Ignazio Cassis tells the UN Security Council.
This content was published on
The only alternative to the UN Palestinian agency’s work in Gaza is to allow Israel to run services there, Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA Commissioner-General, told reporters in Geneva on Monday.
Study reveals food culture differences between Switzerland and neighbours
This content was published on
Three-quarters of Swiss people consider eating to be a pleasurable, social activity, a new survey reveals. Healthy eating, however, plays a much less important role, it found.
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.