The New Federal Act on Data Protection (nFADP) in Switzerland comes into force on September 1, 2023 and brings Switzerland’s data protection laws in line with the 2018 General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) of the EU. The new data protection regulations improve protections for the collection, usage, and distribution of personal data in the ever-expanding digital world. Furthermore, the new rules simultaneously promote the usability of data, which offers new opportunities to optimise productivity.
Regulation in general provides not only improved safety and security, but also a groundwork for standardised expectations and procedures. Therefore, nFADP also provides impetus to modernise data usage and promote efficiency and economic competitiveness within Switzerland. This is to ensure that Switzerland does not lag behind countries that are already embracing the advantages of data-informed processes. Ensuring the trust and support of the population is necessary to achieve the efficiency and productivity gains that come with competent data usage, another benefit of introducing the nFADP.
Data protection acts are not only about regulation, but also about ensuring that data can be used to drive greater productivity, optimisation, and cost savings.
To be both compliant with the nFADP (and Human Research Act) as well as reap the rewards of interoperability that the act facilitates, data users need to know the contents of their data and its journey from acquisition through to usage. In that regard, there will be increased emphasis on building standard workflows using data science techniques informed by domain-specific knowledge.