Swiss Smart Cities Promise Efficiency At The Price Of Your Data

(MENAFN- Swissinfo) Swiss cities aim to become“smarter”, more efficient and citizen-friendly. But they increasingly rely on personal data, loosely regulated AI technologies and private companies. Who really controls urban systems, and what safeguards exist for citizens? This content was published on May 21, 2026 - 09:00 9 minutes

I analyse the risks, opportunities and concrete impacts of artificial intelligence on society and everyday life. Since joining SWI swissinfo in 2020, I translate the complexity of science and technology into stories that speak to a global audience. Born in Milan to an Italian-Egyptian family, I have been passionate about knowledge and writing since childhood. I worked between Milan and Paris as a multilingual editor for technology magazines before transitioning to international journalism with SWI swissinfo.

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Deutsch de Schweizer Smart Cities versprechen Effizienz – doch der Preis dafür könnten private Daten sein Read more: Schweizer Smart Cities versprechen Effizienz – doch der Preis dafür könnten private Daten Français fr Les villes intelligentes, entre promesse d'efficience et piège à données Read more: Les villes intelligentes, entre promesse d'efficience et piège à don Italiano it Le smart city svizzere promettono efficienza. Al prezzo dei vostri dati. Original Read more: Le smart city svizzere promettono efficienza. Al prezzo dei vostri

Instant parking, public services at the click of a button, real-time traffic optimisation: Swiss cities are investing heavily in digital technologies to become more efficient and liveable. Zurich is widely seen as a model of urban innovation and one of the world's most advanced smart citiesExternal link.“We want to be a sustainable city, a social city, and a less congested city,” says David Weber, head of Smart City Zurich.

But smart technologies rely on the collection and analysis of large volumes of data, including personal information, often managed in ways that are not transparent to citizens. Many of these systems also depend on solutions developed by private providers, including major international tech companies, especially for cloud infrastructure.

“Dependence on big tech companies is a reality in Zurich, as elsewhere. It's something we are aware of and actively trying to reduce,” Weber says.

Less vigilance in high-trust societies

As digitalisation accelerates, it is becoming increasingly difficult for citizens to understand how much data is being collected about them and by whom. In democracies such as Switzerland, where trust in institutions is high, people tend to be less vigilant about data collection, according to Jasmin Dall'Agnola, a lecturer at the University of Zurich specialising in smart cities, surveillance and authoritarianism.

“In Switzerland, we still have this naivety of thinking that in a democratic society our data will not be used against us,” she says. Dall'Agnola points out that data held by US tech companies can be accessed by US authorities under the US CLOUD Act, even if it is stored in Switzerland.“Citizens may assume Swiss law protects their data, while in reality it can be accessed through a different legal system.”

With the growing integration of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in public services, from policing to social welfare, it is even harder for people to understand how algorithm-based decisions are made and how to challenge them.

“The issue is no longer just who collects the data, but who controls the algorithms that AI relies on,” Dall'Agnola adds.

>> Why citizens and governments must remain vigilant in the face of private companies' dominance of urban technologies. The opinion of Jasmin Dall'Agnola:

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