A comprehensive policy is necessary to unlock the economic and social potential of data in our country's and its citizens' interest, a study from the Center for Digital Trust (C4DT) concludes.
Data plays an important role as a strategic asset for Switzerland. As central infrastructure for the digital economy and society, data is crucial to the country's prosperity and sovereignty. However, data often remains locked in isolated silos or, despite being accessible, cannot be linked due to a lack of interoperability.This impedes data sharing, and thereby the secondary use of data. Although many foundational datasets, technical standards, and data-sharing norms already exist, they are not always applied systematically or consistently. To fully realize the economic potential of data, Switzerland needs appropriate political frameworks and regulatory measures that facilitate data exchange. A dedicated data policy must therefore become an integral part of the country's economic, industrial, and infrastructure policy, a study from the Center for Digital Trust (C4DT) concludes.
"Data represent a core infrastructure, and their full potential can only be unlocked with the right political frameworks, says Melanie Kolbe-Guyot, one of the study's authors. Switzerland has successfully created such frameworks in the past - for railways, energy, and communications - which laid the foundations for industrialization and prosperity. A similar level of foresight is now required for the digital age."
Despite the growing need for data sharing in business, government, research, and society, Switzerland lacks a coherent data policy that recognizes data as essential digital infrastructure and establishes robust governance for data exchange. The development of reliable data spaces - that is, digital environments in which individuals, businesses and society would be prepared to entrust their data and exchange it in an interoperable, secure and standardized manner while retaining control over this information - is thus hampered. Many challenges persist, including the lack of clear political leadership and coordination across numerous data initiatives. There are also few incentives for data holders to share data due to the absence of viable business models and clear legal frameworks. In contrast, the EU has adopted a coordinated data strategy with clear regulations, the Data Act. Switzerland has yet to develop such an integrated approach.
Securing Switzerland's economic prosperity
"Digital self-determination" refers to the ability of individuals to decide autonomously and sovereignly on the use of their data. In Switzerland, it presents itself as an alternative approach to the broader notion of digital sovereignty and encompasses both personal data and sensitive corporate data.
Yet, this concept as the foundation for developing data spaces is insufficient, because it focuses primarily on the tension between data protection and availability, neglecting the broader economic and societal value of data use. A more comprehensive data policy approach is needed - one that emphasizes data sharing in the public interest and integrates the economic aspects of data use. A corresponding strategy and policy should regulate areas such as foundational datasets, data spaces, data standardization, and the secondary use of personal data.
What about data protection?
Promoting access to and exchange of data is not incompatible with the Data Protection Act, which came into force in Switzerland in September 2023. Modeled on the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation, it establishes clear rules for handling personal data responsibly. Rather than being an obstacle, such safeguards are a prerequisite for building trust in broader data-sharing practices.
What is still lacking, however, is a comprehensive strategic vision for how Switzerland should enable the responsible use and reuse of data. This is less about the protection of individual data, which is already well regulated, and more about how company and sectoral data can be shared and reused in ways that create value. Developing reliable data spaces would provide the infrastructure needed to unlock these opportunities, supporting long-term economic prosperity and competitiveness.
