“Imagine someone flirts with you, sees you getting into your car, and notes your license plate. This person could then find your name and address.” This is the warning issued by the Basel-based TikToker Swiss.ish in a video that is a hit on social networks. “If you are a woman and you drive in Switzerland, immediately block the data linked to your vehicle,” she recommends to her subscribers.
Because in several cantons, the contact details of the vehicle owner are accessible from their registration number, unless they have requested that their data be blocked. In Geneva and Neuchâtel, this search costs a few €. In the cantons of Vaud and Valais, it is even free and only takes a few clicks.
His video seems to have struck a chord. Viewed more than 126,000 times in a few days, it triggered numerous reactions. Several Internet users claim to have immediately requested that their data be blocked. Others say they have experienced this type of situation. “It even happened to me several times. Guys were writing to me on Facebook saying they saw me with my car. It was really scary,” says one of them.
Free blocking
The possibility of consulting this information is provided for by the road traffic law. Cantons can communicate the name and address of vehicle owners, provided that they have not requested that their data be blocked.
This process is free. In most cantons, it is now enough to complete an online form. Depending on the administration, the blocking is effective within a few minutes or after a few days.
Even after this blocking, the authorities as well as people who can assert a legitimate interest – for example following an accident – continue to be able to access the information.
