COMMENT - The e-ID is a basic piece of equipment for citizens in the internet age. It protects privacy and empowers the state.

Just a few years ago, it would have been unthinkable. But today, one can hope to find a life partner online, or a job that can be done entirely from home. And almost every month, the internet seems to expand with a new application. Recently, some people are seeking therapy from AI chatbots or developing something like a romantic relationship with them.

This shows that the part of our lives that we are shifting online is growing ever larger. The internet is expanding our everyday lives and our social interactions. And with the advancement of digitalization, it is becoming increasingly obvious that there must be a way for us to identify ourselves unequivocally online.

Identity documents enable us to participate in society. We can use them to sign documents, open bank accounts, and sign mobile phone contracts. They also allow us to participate in elections and votes. We use them to access government services, such as proof of creditworthiness, which we must provide if we want to rent an apartment.

Identity documents are thus a kind of key to society. However, our physical IDs and passports are useless online for security reasons. Therefore, in many communities, it is still common practice for citizens to appear in person at a government office for some government services—for example, to request an extract from the criminal or debt collection register.

This is likely to be increasingly frustrating for many. While 24-hour self-service stores suggest that everything can be done at any time, you have to queue for an official document during the municipality's opening hours. The government therefore urgently needs to catch up in terms of user-friendliness.

Essentially, the state must function efficiently for its citizens. If it fails to do so, dissatisfaction with the political system increases—and with it the risk that fully digitized and user-friendly government systems will be admired, even though many of them are hostile to freedom.

This is one of the reasons why the federal government has been working on a digital identity card for over ten years. Several projects have already failed during this process, most recently the first e-ID proposal in 2021 due to the popular vote against it. Now the federal government has followed suit and presented a system that even some experts who previously opposed an e-ID are supporting.

The current draft gives users the greatest possible control: Personal data remains on the user's smartphone. Neither the government nor private companies can track the use of the e-ID. And users decide for themselves with whom they share which information.

What this could mean in concrete terms is demonstrated by the example of pornography sites. Children and young people can access them today by clicking on "I am older than 18," even though pornography portals in Switzerland are supposed to block young people under 16. In a future with e-ID, it would be possible to implement age verification that protects privacy: Thanks to the e-ID, anyone wishing to visit the site does not have to reveal their name or date of birth. It is sufficient to disclose the fact that the user is older than 16.

The e-ID thus protects young people as well as the privacy of all users. To prevent the system from being exploited, the federal government maintains a register of companies that request excessive information from the e-ID. If a pornography website, for example, wanted to register the name or date of birth of its users, users could report the site. The e-ID app would then also warn other users about the website. At least, that's what the authorities hope.

The approach is clever. Nevertheless, one thing remains true when it comes to digitization projects: No program code in the world is 100 percent secure. The developers currently working on the e-ID code know this too. That's why they built a system without a central registry—there's nothing worth hacking.

To further enhance the cybersecurity of the e-ID, the federal government has also published the program code and announced a competition: anyone who reports a vulnerability will receive a reward. The 120 federal developers hope to harness the collective intelligence of the developer community.

Initial independent analyses of the program code have shown that the program actually does what the legislation promises—nothing more, nothing less. While the code isn't yet complete, and key components are still missing, experts expect progress soon. There's still time until the earliest possible launch date in the third quarter of 2026.

Even if voters reject the e-ID, it's still foreseeable that identification barriers and age checks will be imposed online. After decades of anarchy, politicians around the world are increasingly criticizing the fact that children can order alcohol online, view pornography, and generate nude photos of their neighbors .

In the future, various online services will likely only be accessible with proof of age. If Swiss citizens don't have a privacy-preserving solution by then, the same thing may happen as in Great Britain: There, users of pornography websites are now required to photograph their ID, identify themselves with a credit card, or submit their face to an AI age assessment . This is catastrophic for users' privacy.

If the people vote no, it's also expected that tech companies like Google or Meta will eventually launch e-ID-like systems. Many websites have already created practical login processes with "Login with Google." The problem with this is that Google knows even more about the customers who use the login—for example, which app they open in the middle of the night.

In a digital world that is changing at breakneck speed, pausing is dangerous. Those who resist change for too long risk being left behind. Candle makers and gas lamplighters in the 19th century, who protested against the introduction of electric light, had to learn this lesson. Stagecoach drivers, who tried to prevent new railway lines in court, faced a similar experience.

In the long run, everyone will benefit from digital transformation, including stagecoach operators and candlestick makers. However, this requires the will to shape it. This includes closely monitoring the spread of e-ID.

One can say yes to the introduction of the e-ID, but no to its disproportionate use. Of course, no one wants to have to identify themselves with a government ID at every corner of the internet. We still need digital spaces where one can express one's opinion on political issues while disguised as Mickey Mouse. Even controversial opinions must be able to be published and debated. This freedom must be defended.

If opponents of the e-ID stoke fears of a Chinese-style internet, where one can't post in a comment section without being monitored by the state, they are underestimating the resilience of liberal democracy. The Swiss Parliament and the electorate will not allow the internet to develop into a tightly controlled space.

Furthermore, it must be ensured that the same standards apply to foreign services when using the e-ID as in Switzerland. The federal government's efforts to create a privacy-protecting system would be insufficient if they only applied domestically.

Neither the international connection nor the scope of the e-ID's application are part of the vote on September 28. The ballot is solely about the introduction of the e-ID. If the people vote yes, they cannot sit back and relax. The system's application must be critically monitored and monitored.

Voters can be trusted to do this. If they opt for the e-ID, they will be actively shaping the future of digitalization. It's quite possible that in ten years, they'll look back on 2025 with as much disbelief as we do today when tax returns had to be submitted in paper form.