The proposed update to Switzerland’s Ordinance on the Surveillance of Postal and Telecommunications Traffic (VÜPF: Verordnung über die Überwachung des Post- und Fernmeldeverkehrs) represents a significant expansion of state surveillance powers, worse than the surveillance powers of the USA. If enacted, it would have serious consequences for encrypted services such as Threema, an encrypted WhatsApp alternative and Proton Mail as well as VPN providers based in Switzerland.

  • MonkderVierte@lemmy.zip
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    4 days ago

    So. Switzerland doesn’t really have fully direct democracy in the necessary sense.

    Yes, it’s half-direct, who said otherwise? Fully direct on a Nation state level would maybe be possible now with the Internet.
    But we can still overrule them, while germans get tired of their politicians lying on elections and doing what they want. Doesn’t mean they don’t try here.

    But yeah, this system has it’s weaknesses with complicated or emotional topics. But then again, we are all humans.

    • rottingleaf@lemmy.world
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      4 days ago

      Fully direct on a Nation state level would maybe be possible now with the Internet.

      That’s my point. It might seem dangerous to rely on the Internet for such basic matters, but it’s already being used to great effect to undermine all democracies. So there’s no choice, it’s like an arms race. (Still, probably for elections it’d make sense to have a countrywide parallel intranet, so that someone’s error in setting up a BGP router wouldn’t disrupt it.).

      But yeah, this system has it’s weaknesses with complicated or emotional topics. But then again, we are all humans.

      That’s the other side of the problem - modern easiness of propaganda.

      OK, I live in Russia, just rather sad to see how many other countries are slowly drifting in the same regrettable unsavory direction.