Switzerland votes in favour of greater surveillance

LONDON. KAZINFORM Swiss voters have approved a new surveillance law, after the government argued that security services needed enhanced powers in an increasingly volatile world.

The proposed law won 65.5% support, final results on Sunday showed.

Switzerland's police and intelligence agencies have had limited investigative tools compared with other developed countries. Phone tapping and email surveillance were previously banned, regardless of circumstance.

The government insisted it was not aiming to set up a vast data-gathering apparatus, similar to the one developed by the US National Security Agency that came into the public eye in part through the revelations of former contractor Edward Snowden.

"This is not generalised surveillance," Yannick Buttet, the Christian Democratic party vice president, told public broadcaster RTS as results were coming in. "It's letting the intelligence services do their job."

The Swiss defence minister, Guy Parmelin, said Switzerland was "leaving the basement and coming up to the ground floor by international standards".

Read more at The Guardian