Switzerland's Strong Data Protection Framework: The FADP
Switzerland's primary data protection law is the Federal Act on Data Protection (FADP), which underwent a significant revision and came into effect on September 1, 2023. This updated law aligns Swiss data protection principles more closely with the EU's GDPR, aiming to ensure an adequate level of data protection. Key aspects relevant to phone numbers include:
Definition of Personal Data: The FADP broadly defines "personal data" as any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person. This unequivocally covers phone numbers.
Consent: While the FADP allows for processing based on various legal bases, for marketing and unsolicited communications, consent is a crucial element. Processing personal data against the explicit will of the data subject is generally prohibited unless justified by an overriding private or public interest.
Data Subject Rights: Individuals in Switzerland have comprehensive rights over their personal data, including the right to access, rectify, erase ("right to be forgotten"), and object to processing, particularly for direct marketing.
Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner (FDPIC): The FDPIC is Switzerland's independent data protection authority. It is responsible for advising, educating, and ensuring the netherlands phone number library protection of personal data, investigating complaints, and imposing sanctions for non-compliance.
These robust legal provisions make the public dissemination of a comprehensive personal phone number directory fundamentally illegal and impractical.
Switzerland's telecommunications market includes major operators such as Swisscom, Sunrise, and Salt. While these companies manage extensive subscriber databases, they are legally bound by privacy agreements and the FADP. They do not provide comprehensive public directories of individual phone numbers.
Regarding unsolicited commercial communications, the Federal Act on Unfair Competition (UCA) plays a significant role.