Significant increase in telecommunications surveillance in Switzerland in 2024

Telecommunications surveillance increased significantly in Switzerland in 2024. According to the latest statistics from the Post and Telecommunications Surveillance Service (ÜPF), there was a significant increase in almost all categories of surveillance measures compared to the previous year. Particularly striking: the number of so-called antenna searches has doubled - a significant indicator of the increasing use of technical means for localization and suspicion consolidation.

"The significant increase in telecommunications surveillance in 2024 shows that digital investigation tools are no longer a marginal issue - they are now a key tool in the fight against organized crime and serious crimes."
Jean-Louis Biberstein, Deputy Head of Service ÜPF

Traditional real-time surveillance also increased by 45% to 1,818 cases (2023: 1,244). Retrospective surveillance - for example for the retrospective clarification of communication histories - amounted to 6,149 cases, an increase of around 25% compared to 2023 (4,957). The number of emergency searches, i.e. surveillance to locate missing persons, also rose to 1,223 (2023: 1,022). Only the number of police searches, at 35, remained slightly below the previous year's figure (37).

Data access: Massive increase in requests for information

In addition to active monitoring, passive data collection via simple and complex information has also increased significantly. A total of 495,119 simple requests for information (e.g. IP addresses or subscriber data) were issued - an increase of around 18%. However, the increase in complex information, such as contract data or copies of ID cards, was particularly significant: With 32,225 requests issued, their number rose by around 55 percent compared to 2023 (20,800). Overall, it was found that a single request often results in several requests for information - an indication of the increased complexity of investigation procedures.

Types of offense: surveillance focus on property crimes and violent offenses

An analysis of the content of the surveillance orders shows that the focus in 2024 was heavily on property offenses: these accounted for 43% of all real-time and retrospective surveillance orders - three times as many as in the previous year. Offenses against life and limb (19 percent) also saw a more than twofold increase. A further 10 percent of surveillance was for serious violations of the Narcotics Act - here too, measures increased by over 15 percent. Smaller but also significant proportions were accounted for by emergency searches (6 %), offenses against liberty (3 %) and public order (2 %), with the latter almost doubling compared to 2023.

IMSI-Catcher and GovWare: increasing use of technology

The technical depth of surveillance measures also increased. The use of so-called IMSI catchers - devices that record mobile phone connections locally - increased to 171 cases (previous year: 160). These were used particularly frequently in emergency searches (67 cases) and serious narcotics offenses (53 cases). The use of state-approved special IT programs, so-called GovWare, also increased slightly: 12 deployments were registered in 2024 (previous year: 9), mainly for serious drug offences.

Intelligence service with significant increase in activity

The Federal Intelligence Service (FIS) also stepped up its activities significantly. In 2024, 106 surveillance operations were carried out, compared to 46 in the previous year. The number of requests for information amounted to 12,789 (previous year: 11,498), while the number of information requests issued was 15,241 (previous year: 13,991). However, due to different counting methods, direct comparisons with the figures for the PTT service are only of limited value. While the PTSS counts per technical order, the FIS records measures according to individual cases.

Legal and financial framework conditions

All surveillance measures require judicial approval. In the case of law enforcement authorities, this is carried out by the compulsory measures court; in the case of the FIS, it is carried out by the Federal Administrative Court and the DDPS. As the enforcement authority, the PTSS is responsible for checking the formal requirements and coordinating the technical implementation with the parties required to cooperate, such as telecommunications providers.

When the new Financing Ordinance FV-ÜPF came into force on January 1, 2024, the fee model was fundamentally reformed. Instead of a usage-based fee, each canton now contributes a flat rate to the monitoring costs. The cantons were invoiced CHF 24 million for 2024. The MWP received compensation amounting to around CHF 6.3 million. The total expenditure for the OBP service amounted to CHF 46.7 million - a significant increase on the previous year's figure of CHF 36.1 million. The cost recovery ratio rose accordingly from 39% to 54%.

Conclusion: Digital surveillance is becoming a key investigative tool

The figures for 2024 show a clear trend: digital telecommunications surveillance has established itself as an integral part of law enforcement and security in Switzerland - in both quantitative and qualitative terms. Both the technical complexity and the frequency of use are increasing. The trend is particularly clear in measures against property and violent crimes as well as in search operations for missing persons.

Against the backdrop of increasing cybercrime, complex criminal networks and growing demands on law enforcement, the importance of intelligent surveillance systems is likely to continue to grow in the coming years - albeit always subject to the rule of law and judicial control.