The Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) has announced that they will not record personal data such as age, gender, or size of train station visitors in their upcoming measuring system. The decision came after harsh criticism of the spying on customers project. The SBB still plans to install more surveillance systems but will modify their requested options to adhere to data protection laws. After public pressure and objections from politicians, SBB boss Vincent Ducrot decided to remove customer categorizations altogether.
The Customer Frequency Measurement System 2.0 (KFMS) aims to record the flows of travelers and customers in the shops at the stations by counting data that is not linked to personal data. The SBB emphasizes that their goal is to ensure that travelers feel safe and comfortable in the station and that the right services are in the right place. They will now prepare a data protection impact assessment and will only decide on an offer after it has been checked by the Federal Data Protection Commissioner (FDPIC).
Civil society organizations AlgorithmWatch CH and Digitale Gesellschaft launched an open letter against SBB’s plans, which garnered over 16,000 signatures. They welcomed the SBB’s announcement but vowed to keep a close eye on the railway company to ensure that no monitoring methods are used in the future that are incompatible with fundamental rights.
The initial tender documents showed that the KFMS could record personal characteristics such as gender, size, or age, and there was talk of facial recognition/detection using hidden cameras. However, after the K-Tipp publication, the SBB announced in February that they would not use facial recognition and would not collect data that would allow conclusions to be drawn about individuals. The SBB will adjust its tender and will only use a system that fully complies with data protection. SBB boss Vincent Ducrot emphasized the importance of trust in the company and listened to the concerns of politicians and the public.
