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   Secure encryption and online anonymity are now at risk in Switzerland  here's   
   what you need to know   
      
   Date:   
   Wed, 26 Mar 2025 17:49:33 +0000   
      
   Description:   
   An amendment to the Swiss surveillance law would require VPNs and messaging   
   apps to undermine their privacy and security framework. NymVPN, Proton, and   
   Threema are fighting back.   
      
   FULL STORY   
   ======================================================================   
    - Switzerland is considering amending its surveillance law to add new types   
   of monitoring and information collection   
    - The change would widen the reach to VPNs and secure messaging providers   
    - Consultations are now open until May 6, 2025   
      
   Switzerland is considering amending its surveillance law to expand into new   
   types of monitoring and data collection.    
      
   The changes  which experts argue will put people's anonymity and secure   
   encryption at risk  would widen the net of impacted service providers to   
   virtual private networks (VPNs) , messaging apps, and social networks, having   
   previously only impacted mobile networks and internet service providers   
   (ISPs).    
      
   Consultations are now public and open until May 6, 2025. Speaking to   
   TechRadar, NymVPN has explained how it's planning to fight against it,   
   alongside encrypted messaging app Threema and Proton, the provider behind one   
   of the best VPN and secure email services on the market.   
      
   More data, less security   
      
   Authorities' arguments behind the need for accessing more data are always the   
   same  catching criminals and improving security. Yet, according to Nym's   
   co-founder and COO, Alexis Roussel, being forced to leave more data behind   
   would achieve the opposite result.    
      
   "Less anonymity online is not going to make things better," he told    
   TechRadar. "For example, enforcing identification of all these small services   
   will eventually push to leaks, more data theft, and more attacks on people."    
      
    The amendment aims to expand the number of service providers targeted to   
   include so-called "derived service providers."This categorisation would aim    
   to include any online service with a turnover of $100 million or more than   
   5,000 active users.    
      
   As per the official announcement , "three types of information and two types   
   of monitoring are also being created as a result of this revision." Put   
   simply, the likes of NymVPN and Proton VPN would be forced to modify how they   
   handle their encryption technology and their privacy policies around securing   
   the anonymity of their users.   
      
   Considering the pushback against encryption backdoors , Switzerland seems to   
   be taking a different approach. Yet, according to Roussel, this is more of a   
   "play on words."    
      
   "It's not about end-to-end encryption. They don't want to force you to reveal   
   what's inside the communication itself, but they want to know where it goes,"   
   Roussel explains. "They realize the value is not in what is being said but    
   who you are talking to.".    
      
   "The whole point of security and privacy is not being able to link the usage   
   to the person. That's the most critical thing." Roussel told TechRadar.    
      
   What's next?    
      
   It's important to note that the current amendment is not subject to a   
   parliamentary vote or public referendum under Swiss law. Nonetheless, a    
   public consultation is now ongoing, so everyone can partake.    
      
   Nym confirmed to TechRadar that the team has already started to build a   
   strategy to fight against it with Proton and Threema  and they hope more   
   people will follow suit.    
      
   The plan focuses on showing the damage these changes will have for citizens'   
   online security and the wider Swiss tech industry.    
      
   "Nym is still small, but Proton and Threema are really very prominent   
   companies in Switzerland," said Rousseld, pointing out how the Swiss Army   
   itself is using the latter service exactly for its well-known high level of   
   security.    
      
   "I think we have good arguments, and I think the best argument we have is to   
   show them that they would lose in front of a tribunal."   
      
   ======================================================================   
   Link to news story:   
   https://www.techradar.com/vpn/vpn-privacy-security/secure-encryption-and-onlin   
   e-anonymity-are-now-at-risk-in-switzerland-heres-what-you-need-to-know   
      
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