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Research dossier · General Reference

Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner

independent, Swiss data protection and freedom of information authority

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General referenceInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionAug 8, 2026
Entity authorityQ1241631 ↗
Source-derived summary

The Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner (FDPIC) is responsible to advise, educate and ensure the protection of personal data in Switzerland. It is established by the Federal Act on Data Protection and by the Federal Act on Freedom of Information in the Administration.

The Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner is responsible for the supervision of federal authorities and private bodies with respect to data protection and freedom of information legislation. It is affiliated with the Federal Chancellery of Switzerland.

The cantons also have data protection and information commissioners.

History

The position of Federal Data Protection Commissioner was created in 1993, with the entry in force (on 1 July 1993) of the Federal Act on Data Protection of 19 June 1992.

The position was renamed Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner in 2006, with the entry in force (on 1 July 2006) of the Federal Act on Freedom of Information in the Administration of 17 December 2004.

The commissioner is appointed by the Federal Council (for a term of office of four years) and approved by a vote of the Federal Assembly.

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner” as independent, Swiss data protection and freedom of information authority. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Federal, Data and Protection.

Editorial reviewA concise reference frame for defining the subject, testing terminology and identifying the institution closest to the evidence. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1993, 1992, 2006, 2004—that can be checked directly. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 1993. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with Federal, Data and Protection providing the first useful test.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner”, the useful work is to connect “independent, Swiss data protection and freedom of information authority” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 8, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1241631. VIAF identifies the subject as 148775732. 1 of 5 selected statements include explicit references; 3 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1993, 1992, 2006 and 2004.

Critical limits

A concise general-reference account can conceal disagreements about scope, terminology or the weight assigned to individual sources. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.

Best used for
  • Subject orientation
  • Search vocabulary
  • Locating named sources
Verify next

The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner primary sources, Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner archive and Federal research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner”?
  2. Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
  3. Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
Subject index

Search terms from this dossier

Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.