The Automated Police Search System (RIPOL) is a database of wanted persons, stolen vehicles and missing persons, weapons and artworks.
It is used to aid law enforcement activities and has strict access controls because the information on the database is so sensitive.
The Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner (FDPIC) said on Wednesday that there are “indications of potentially serious violations of data protection regulations”.
Whistleblowers had earlier reported that outsourcing some operations to software provider Xplain had “led to breaches of data security with potentially high risks for those affected”, FDPIC added.
Both the border security and federal police services have now been called on by the data protection watchdog to answer the allegations.
What do you think Switzerland’s Alain Berset can bring to the Council of Europe?
The former interior minister is to become the first Swiss Secretary General of the Council of Europe – which issues should his five-year term focus on?
Swiss air traffic control upgrade slows tempo for safety reasons
This content was published on
The upgrade of Switzerland’s air traffic control system will take longer than anticipated following a series of malfunctions.
Switzerland remains ‘world’s most innovative country’
This content was published on
Switzerland remains the world's most innovative country, still ahead of Sweden and the US on the WIPO Global Innovation Index.
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.
Read more
More
Hackers steal Swiss police and customs data
This content was published on
Hackers have published data from the federal police and customs offices on the Darknet, after an attack on the servers of the host company.
Swiss government and Federal Railways hit by cyberattacks
This content was published on
Swiss federal government websites and the online portal of the Swiss Federal Railways have been victims of malicious online attacks.
This content was published on
Only 94 ransomware incidents were reported in the first half of the year, but the real number is believed to be closer to 2,000.
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.