SBB maintains “travel files” for more than 6 million customers

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The SBB maintains a file containing customer data for each individual Swisspass holder. More than 6 million general and semi-travel card holders are affected. The information collected through the Swisspass should include much more than age, address, telephone number and email address. The magazine “Balance” accuses the federal railways of recording family relationships.

According to the article, anyone who requests their personal data from SBB can receive a file of up to 100 pages. This shows when and on which routes the train is checked and which ticket is shown. But this is exactly what then Federal Data Protection Officer Jean-Philippe Walter banned in 2016. In this way, SBB was able to create extensive customer movement profiles.

“Disproportionate” and unnecessary

For Walter, keeping the audit data for 90 days was “disproportionate” and unnecessary. He therefore recommended that the data be deleted immediately and that the audit database should no longer be used. The SBB would also have guaranteed that, ‘Saldo’ continues.

But that is no longer the case. As the consumer magazine reports, this can be demonstrated using customer data. In 2018, SBB reintroduced the audit database. Control data is kept for 90 days, as confirmed by SBB. But only if customers save the Swisspass on the SBB mobile app on their mobile phone.

“There can be no question of secrecy”

The SBB also confirms to Blick that the data is being collected: the Federal Railways state that it should be possible to check whether the Swisspass on the card and the mobile version are not being used by different people at the same time. However, this is not a conclusive explanation for “Balance”: the inspector can use the photo on the season ticket to determine whether the right person is using a season ticket.

An SBB spokesperson trivializes the procedure: “There can be no question of secrecy.” The data protection declaration for the Swisspass is legally compliant and no objection has been raised by the current data protection officer, he says. In fact, acting Federal Data Protection Commissioner Adrian Lobsiger (63) is more generous to the SBB than Jean-Philippe Walter was.

But above all, the SBB is moving on: the rate organization Alliance Swisspass is responsible here as the issuer of the Swisspass. However, Alliance Swisspass Blick declined to comment as it went to press.

According to “Saldo”, Lobsiger sees no problem in saving the rule data. Even during the passenger surveillance at the train stations, which the SBB was forced to withdraw after massive public criticism, Lobsiger did not shine with his particular harshness towards the federal railways.

Conclusions about family and leisure possible

It is surprising that Lobsiger is now less critical than his predecessor, while data is much easier to link to other data than in 2016. In fact, a lot can be deduced from the data about the customers that SBB collects. According to “Saldo”, the collecting frenzy of the state railways is to this day unjustifiable for Jean-Philippe Walter, his predecessor.

After all, with the purchase of a “General subscription Duo Partner” it appears that someone has a relationship. If a “General subscription Duo Partner Junior” is added, it is clear that the couple has a child. This data is used by the public transport companies, in particular the SBB.

The data also provides information about leisure behaviour: it can be traced when a customer has been on a skiing holiday or visited the Lucerne Museum of Transport – and which car he has rented from Mobility, from when to when. Because offers such as ski tickets, car rental and museum entrance are also read if they are linked to the Swisspass.

Advertisers must “reach rail customers exactly”

For “Balance” it is clear: the state-owned company uses the customer data for advertising purposes. Finally, Alliance Swisspass divides customers into different segments, which creates the conditions to target them with targeted advertising – based on where they are, where they live, their age and gender.

That is why the actions of the SBB remain delicate for former data protection officer Walter. (dba)

Source:Blick