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Plans to introduce an electronic ID for Swiss citizens have now reached draft law stage, following a failed prior attempt.

In March last year, 64% of Swiss voters rebuffed the initial proposal for an electronic identity system due to fears surrounding data protection. With private firms involved in the tech utilised for the so-called e-ID, many feared their personal data would be vulnerable to hackers.

Now the government is making another attempt to offer a “secure state electronic identification,” which has parliamentary backing.

The plans have the support of the Organisation of the Swiss Abroad (OSA), which says one of the key benefits to an e-ID is to ease contact with authorities from overseas, in regard to administration and tax issues, as well as banking and dealing with health services.

However, the principal reason the OSA is supporting an e-ID is that it could be a significant step towards the creation of a Swiss e-voting system, Swiss Info reports. “The e-ID makes e-voting easier to achieve,” according to OSA president Filippo Lombardi.

Representing around 800,000 Swiss nationals overseas, the OSA stressed the importance of e-voting: "Their constitutionally guaranteed political rights are often difficult to exercise in practice because the election and voting documents arrive too late by post, depending on where they live,” the OSA stated.

The organisation also underscored the advantages in terms of banking: “The clear identification of new customers is particularly expensive for banks if [these people] live abroad. Many banks therefore severely restrict their services in this regard.”

An electronic ID would make identification processes more straightforward and less costly, the OSA added, hoping "that the Swiss banks will once again grant simplified access to the Swiss abroad.”

In addition, the organisation said the e-ID would also "significantly simplify the provision of e-government solutions and thus make it easier for the Swiss abroad in administrative issues and when contacting the authorities.”

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  • Swiss,
  • Abroad,
  • Plan

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