Neuchâtel votes on the right to digital integrity
Published: Thursday, Oct 31st 2024, 10:40
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In Neuchâtel, the right to the digital integrity of citizens is to be enshrined in the cantonal constitution. On November 24, the electorate will decide on the decree adopted by the Grand Council. All parties except the FDP are in favor. It has decided to abstain from voting.
Digital integrity generally refers to the undisturbed existence of a person in the digital world. This should be protected in the same way as physical and mental integrity. Specifically, it is about protection against data misuse, security on the internet or the right to be forgotten.
This new fundamental right in the Neuchâtel Constitution would only have an effect on the relationship between the canton and its administration and citizens. This is because the canton cannot legislate on data processing by companies and private individuals. This falls within the remit of the Confederation.
The supporters of this constitutional amendment in the canton of Neuchâtel say: "This new fundamental right will make it possible to defend digital sovereignty, both as the individual property of citizens and as a collective common good."
Right to offline life
The supporters of this constitutional amendment also demand the right to an offline life. The state must continue to offer access to a human contact person in the administration.
They also want the population to be trained and informed in the use of new technologies and to be made more aware of the challenges of digitalization. They are also demanding the right to disconnect from their professional obligations outside of working hours.
Initiatives in several cantons
Geneva was a pioneer in this area in Switzerland, becoming the first canton to enshrine a fundamental right to digital integrity in its constitution in 2023. Similar plans are well advanced in other western Swiss cantons such as Jura, Vaud and Neuchâtel.
In Zurich, the Pirate Party submitted an initiative with sufficient signatures to the canton last August. A vote is likely to take place in the next few years. Last March, voters in Valais rejected a similar bill in the failed constitutional revision.
Cantonal government against
In the canton of Neuchâtel, the Grand Council approved the constitutional amendment in spring with 66 votes in favor, 29 against and 3 abstentions. Only the FDP and some members of the Green Liberals opposed the decree or abstained from voting. The State Council was also against it, although it shared the concerns raised.
According to the government, this right is primarily symbolic, as its scope is limited and restricted to relations between the state and citizens. "The risk of a merely symbolic provision with a very limited scope is that it raises disproportionate expectations among the public that may not be met," Crystel Graf (FDP), the State Councillor responsible for digital affairs, told MPs.
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