The interconnection of data offers great potential for society, the economy, science and administrations. However, uncontrolled data linking could lead to abuses and jeopardise the privacy rights of the individuals concerned.
Based on the report "Creating trustworthy data spaces based on digital self-determination"Promotion of trustworthy data spaces and digital self-determination", the Federal Council adopted various measures in March 2022 to promote trustworthy data spaces in Switzerland.
One of these measures concerns the development of a code of conduct for operating trustworthy data spaces, which was approved by the Federal Council on 8 December 2023. The code of conduct is a recommendation for the Federal Administration, but is not legally binding. It also serves as guide and reference framework for other stakeholders from the private sector, academia, civil society and the economy, who are invited to sign it. Compliance with the Code of Conduct contributes to the trustworthy organisation and operation of data spaces.
Objective and purpose of the Code of Conduct
The development of reliable, interoperable data spaces is still in its infancy, but their importance is growing in an increasingly digitised society. They offer the potential for large-scale data exchange, lay the foundations for a common, more diversified and more extensive use of data, and enable synergies. To exploit the potential of existing data, new governance mechanisms and standards need to be defined that explain how and under what conditions we will use data as a society in the future.
The Code of Conduct contributes to this by concretising the design of trustworthy data spaces on the basis of principles and associated implementation measures. It defines four trust-building basic principles for the reliable design of data spaces and gives them concrete form as a set of recommendations, with corresponding possible implementation measures.
Development of the code of conduct
The code of conduct was drawn up in the form of self-regulation under the coordination of the Confederation as part of an inclusive process involving various players from the private sector, academia, civil society and the public administration.
The code of conduct is available in German, French and Italian.
Press release
Last modification 08.12.2023
