What was the first Swiss E-ID law, and why was it rejected?

The 2019 Federal Act on Electronic Identification Services split the work between the state (verifying identity) and private companies (issuing and operating the E-ID); a referendum rejected it in March 2021 with 64.4 % No.

Key design points:

• Three security levels modelled on eIDAS: low, substantial, high.
• Division of labour: the state confirms a person's identity; private identity providers would issue the E-ID and run the login service.

The criticisms that sank it:

• A state task: many voters felt issuing identity documents is the state's job, not a business.
• No trust in private companies handling identity.
• Security concerns.
• Collection of user data: a private provider in the middle of every login can see where people log in.
• Liability: unclear who is responsible when something goes wrong.

Those points read like a list of requirements for the second law: state issuance, no central collection of usage data, the holder in control.

Go deeper:

• Elektronische Identität (Schweiz): first E-ID law (Wikipedia, German) — the 2021 referendum campaign and arguments.