Coercion with e-ID

Those who do not wish to donate organs must present their e-ID

by Regina Castelberg*

(5 September 2025) (CH-S) In Switzerland, passports and identity cards currently only need to be presented when required by law – for example, when opening a bank account or collecting a registered letter from the post office. This rarely occurs in everyday life. In the federal referendum on 28 September 2025, we as Swiss citizens will decide whether, in addition to physical identity, an “electronic identity”’ (e-ID) should also be created. The following article cites one of many examples where, according to a statement by the “Federal Office of Public Health” on 14 August, this electronic identity is to be made mandatory in a sensitive area that affects everyone.

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The future opt-out system for organ donation in Switzerland will not only bring about a paradigm shift in transplantation policy – it will also open the door to the controversial state e-ID. Anyone who wishes to opt out of organ donation must register this in a central register, which cannot be accessed without a digital identity. This links two politically sensitive projects whose joint implementation could have far-reaching consequences for data protection and self-determination.

On 15 May 2022, the Swiss electorate approved the transition from the previous consent system to an extended opt-out system for organ donation. This means that in future, a person will be considered a potential organ donor unless they have actively objected during their lifetime. In the future, anyone who does not wish to donate organs or tissue must explicitly state this wish. So far, so (not) good. Many people find the idea of having to register again in some kind of register disagreeable, especially when it is only to be able to opt out of the highly controversial organ donation industry. The fact that such a register has not yet been set up apparently has an unpleasant background: it seems that people who consciously do not want to allow everything to be done with their bodies are being practically forced to have an e-ID.

e-ID Voluntary participation not even superficially

The Federal Council is currently amending the ordinance. Specific details on how the opt-out system will be implemented in practice are currently being revised. The «Federal Office of Public Health» (FOPH) writes the following about the plans on its website:¹

“The opt-out system cannot be introduced until early 2027 at the earliest. The exact date is not yet known. It depends on when the e-ID (state-recognised electronic identification) will be available in Switzerland. The e-ID is required for registration in the organ and tissue donor register. This electronic register will allow people to record whether or not they wish to donate organs and tissue after death.”

Vote in September: an important turning point

The new opt-out system for organ donation in Switzerland is therefore to be closely linked to the state electronic identity in future. Citizens will be able to digitally record their decision – consent or refusal to donate organs – in a national register. The e-ID serves as a supposedly secure means of authentication to clearly assign a person’s wishes and prevent abuse. This makes the objection or consent legally binding and quickly accessible to hospitals in an emergency. So, it is the usual arguments, such as security and convenience, that are supposed to push people towards total surveillance – and with this trick involving organ donation, even those who love their freedom are now to be coerced.

The vote on 28 September on the introduction of e-ID, which the Swiss people have already rejected once, will therefore be decisive in determining how transparent we will have to be in future so that we are not eviscerated against our will in an emergency.

* Regina Castelberg works in editorial management and moderation for HOCH2 Medien Schweiz.

Source: https://hoch2.tv/beitrag/freiwilligkeit-der-e-id-gilt-nicht-fuer-jene-die-keine-organe-spenden-wollen/, 14 August 2025

(Translation “Swiss Standpoint”)

1 https://www.bag.admin.ch/de/revisionspaket-1-einfuehrung-der-widerspruchsregelung-bei-der-organspende, (archived 14 August 25)