Government condemns alleged US snooping

Just what do they know at NSA's data centre - and how do they know it? Keystone

The Swiss government has described the systematic internet monitoring allegedly practised by the US intelligence service, NSA, as an “excessive infringement of the private sphere”, whose protection is guaranteed by the federal constitution.

The government issued a written statement to this effect on Monday evening, prompted by a range of questions from members of parliament, which there was no time to answer during the afternoon’s session.

The questions arose from the revelations of internet snooping and allegations of CIA activity in Geneva made by former US intelligence service employee Edward Snowden earlier this month.

The statement said the government did not know whether Swiss citizens or Swiss firms had been affected by the US hacking, and if so, to what extent. It pointed out that there was a big difference in the extent to which companies were aware of the issue and took steps to protect themselves.

It warned that small and medium sized enterprises were among the most vulnerable in this respect and needed to tighten up.

The government stressed that systematic monitoring of internet users in Switzerland is “neither possible nor permitted”.

Spies or diplomats?

The statement described as a “fact” that foreign intelligence services misuse diplomatic accreditation as camouflage, but said it had no “sure knowledge” that the US had used anyone disguised as a diplomat for cyber espionage on Swiss soil.

In his revelations Snowden alleged that US intelligence agents in Geneva had recruited a Swiss banker as an informant after getting him involved in a drink driving incident and helping him out after it.

The government did not answer the question whether Switzerland would be prepared to offer Snowden asylum, on the grounds that it did not comment on the chances of success of hypothetical asylum requests. Should Snowden put in a request, this would be dealt with by the relevant authorities, it said.

In an interview published on Sunday, current Swiss President and Defence Minister Ueli Maurer told the NZZ am Sonntag newspaper that Switzerland was not the right place for Snowden to seek asylum, since “he broke the laws of his country, and we should not support that with asylum.”