Background information
Intelligence Service Act: the intelligence service’s remit is set to be expanded
by Florian Bodoky
NDG revision clears next hurdle, Greens want referendum
23/4/2026
Translation: machine translated
Pictures: Florian Bodoky
The planned revision of the Intelligence Service Act has cleared the first hurdle. The National Council's Security Policy Committee has waved it through. The Greens are considering whether to call for a referendum against the planned expansion of surveillance.
This week, the National Council's Security Policy Committee (SIK-N) approved the planned revision of the Intelligence Service Act by 15 votes to 6 with 2 abstentions. In principle, the committee supports the course taken by the Federal Council, which referred the bill to Parliament on 28 January 2026.
The aim of the revision is to expand the capabilities of the intelligence service, particularly in the early detection of threats. The focus is on violent extremism, terrorism, espionage and cyber attacks. The intelligence service should be able to act more quickly and be given more tools to recognise risks at an early stage. This includes taking action as soon as there are indications of potential dangers - and not only when specific criminal offences have been committed. In serious cases of violent extremism, it should be possible in future to use similar means to those already used today in the area of terrorism. These include measures requiring authorisation, which still have to be approved by the courts. The Commission also wants the intelligence service to record more activities that foreign actors use to exert targeted influence on political systems or societies. Access to certain data, for example in connection with financial flows, is also to be facilitated if there are indications of security-relevant processes. At the same time, existing control mechanisms remain in place to regulate the use of these resources.
Greens consider calling for a referendum
Parallel to this, resistance is forming: the Greens are considering a referendum against the bill. This could put the question of how far the intelligence service should be allowed to go in future before the electorate.
The criticism is primarily directed at the preventive approach. The Greens see this as an expansion of state intervention without sufficient cause. They are bothered by the fact that surveillance should be possible even without concrete suspicion of an offence. In their view, this increases the risk that people who have neither committed nor are planning criminal offences will also be targeted. The party places the protection of privacy at the centre and warns against a shift in the boundaries between targeted threat prevention and broader surveillance.
The National Council will next deal with the bill in the summer session. This will be followed by further parliamentary steps.
I've been tinkering with digital networks ever since I found out how to activate both telephone channels on the ISDN card for greater bandwidth. As for the analogue variety, I've been doing that since I learned to talk. Though Winterthur is my adoptive home city, my heart still bleeds red and blue.
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