Created on 16.03.2020 | Updated on 27.09.2024

How to protect personal data properly

Customers are becoming increasingly sensitive about how their personal data is handled. This is why it is no longer just major global companies that need to think carefully about protecting personal data (and therefore also personal data), but also small and medium-sized companies in Switzerland too. But how do you protect customer data properly? We will show you some of the aspects of statutory data protection regulation in Switzerland today.

At a glance

Customers increasingly expect their personal data to be protected, which is also relevant for small and medium-sized enterprises.
Personal data includes all information that can directly or indirectly identify a natural person, such as name, e-mail address and IP address.
The Swiss Data Protection Act requires that certain processing principles be observed when processing personal data. For example, personal data may only be processed for specified purposes.
At any time, companies must be able to provide information about the processed personal data and how it is used.

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Personal data protection in Switzerland

Lots of companies already use customer data to target their marketing. The benefit of doing this is that they are able to target customers who are genuinely interested in a product or service. As a result, customers receive fewer irrelevant offers. This makes protecting personal data properly all the more important.

What is personal data?

Personal data is essentially any information that can be used to identify a natural person directly or indirectly. This includes names, e-mail addresses, ID numbers, but also other data, such as IP addresses. In principle, personal data also includes data that has been pseudonymized or encrypted. Customer data can be processed online or on social networks using cookies (data saved onto your computer by a website you visit) to show users information tailored specifically to them.

Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection

The use and processing of personal data is regulated by law in Switzerland. The Swiss Federal Constitu-tion states that any natural person is entitled to their personal data being protected from misuse. In princi-ple, every person should be able to decide for themselves to whom they disclose their personal data and for what purpose their data should be processed. To ensure this protection, the federal government adopted the The link will open in a new window Federal Act on Data Protection (FADP) which has been in force in its revised version since 1 September 2023. Personal data may only be created for a specific purpose identifiable to the data subject and then only processed in a manner that is consistent with that purpose.

Companies must be able to provide customers with information at any time

According to the FADP, data controllers are obliged to provide a person with information about the personal data they process, as well as the purpose of processing, the retention period of the personal data and any recipients to whom personal data has been disclosed, within 30 days of the person’s request. Further details are regulated by the The link will open in a new window Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection (DPO)

Protecting personal data is becoming an increasingly important issue

Protecting personal data is a complex issue. Companies must be proactive about data protection. It might well be worthwhile paying the occasional visit to the SME portal of the Swiss government to keep yourself up to date The link will open in a new window so you don’t miss out on any important information on changes in the law.

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