Revision project of the data protection act – new obligations and the implications for companies

The preliminary draft of the complete revision of the Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection has been submitted for consultation. The goal of this revision is among others to strengthen data protection provisions to reflect evolving technological and social circumstances. In this respect, a key objective is to align Swiss data protection laws with European legislation in order to facilitate continued transborder data flows. Companies will be obliged to take steps to prevent potential data breaches whenever personal data is processed.