Media Federal Council postpones regulation of online platforms again
The regulation of large communication platforms such as Google, Facebook, YouTube and X in Switzerland is still a long time coming. Two years ago, the Federal Council ordered a consultation draft on the subject. On Wednesday, it postponed a decision on the matter once again.
16.04.2025, 14:56
SDA
Users of large communication platforms and search engines are to be given more rights in Switzerland. The Federal Council wants to regulate large platforms by law. It announced this at the beginning of April 2023.
The original plan was to adopt the corresponding consultation draft by March 2024. However, the matter has since been postponed several times. At the end of January 2025, the Federal Chancellery announced that the Federal Council would deal with the matter at a later date.
On Wednesday, the matter was once again discussed by the Federal Council, as interim Federal Council Spokesperson Ursula Eggenberger wrote on Wednesday in response to an inquiry from the Keystone-SDA news agency. "The business was postponed. The Federal Council has not made a decision on this. It will deal with the matter at a later date."
That is the official line. Several well-informed sources told the news agency behind closed doors that the smouldering customs dispute with the USA was the latest reason for the delay.
Eggenberger did not want to comment on this: "I cannot provide any information, not even on the content of the talks," she told the media when asked by a journalist in Bern. She could only provide information once the decision had been made.
