The SDI launching the Digital Trust Movement at VivaTech Paris 2023

Building up the Trust Movement, from Geneva to the world

Geneva/Paris, June 13, 2023 – The Swiss Digital Initiative (SDI) launches the Trust Movement at Viva Technology Paris (June 14th). A campaign to raise awareness of the importance of trust in a digitised world, based on practical digital trust tools available to organisations and individuals: the Digital Trust Criteria Catalog, the Digital Trust Guide, the Digital Trust Compass and the Digital Trust Label.

In today’s increasingly interconnected and technologically driven world, the concept of trust assumes paramount importance. Trust, a fundamental aspect of human relationships, extends its significance to the digital space, where it becomes the cornerstone of interactions, transactions, and the overall functioning of digital systems. As technology advances at a rapid pace, the need to address the interplay between trust, ethics, and the digital landscape has become a pressing concern.

Recognising the criticality of trust and ethics in the digital world, the Swiss Digital Initiative has emerged with a compelling mission. Founded in 2020 at the World Economic Forum, the SDI aims to shape a more inclusive and ethical digital future with diverse tangible and practice-oriented projects.

The Digital Trust Movement: An awareness campaign based on four digital trust tools

In June 2023, the SDI is officially launching the Digital Trust Movement to raise awareness of the importance of digital trust targeting organisations providing digital services and its end-users, based on four tools:

• The Digital Trust Criteria Catalog: an expert group led by the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) has compiled a catalog of 35 criteria aimed at building up the trust for users of digital services. The criteria are based on four categories: security, data protection, reliability, and fair user interaction. *See the Catalog *here.
• The Digital Trust Guide: based on the Catalog, SDI has created a ‘user guide’ to digital trust. This guide is designed to assist, be it businesses or institutions, that handle user data. The primary objective is to establish a robust framework of trust that safeguards the interests of users. *See the Guide *here.
• The Digital Trust Compass: SDI has developed an online self-assessment tool to determine whether your organisation respects and protects the interests of its users and to assess the level of digital trust awareness among end-users. It serves as a compass, guiding you along your digital trust journey, providing the right direction. The tool consists of 20 precise questions, with answers on a scale of 1 to 10, based on the Criteria Catalog. *Try out the Compass *here.
• The Digital Trust Label: to go beyond self-assessment and certify compliance with the criteria established for gaining the trust of service users, SDI launched a label in 2021. The Digital Trust Label, the first of its kind, signifies the trustworthiness of a product in a clear and visible manner. The Label is exclusively awarded to organisations that meet the 35 criteria after undergoing an audit conducted by an independent body.* Learn more about the Label here.

From Geneva to the world!

Geneva is the ideal base for a Digital trust movement. Switzerland, its scientific excellence, its prosperity, its innovative strength, its culture of dialogue, its diplomatic tradition, and its neutrality, at the heart of Geneva, capital of peace and humanitarian law. By launching the Trust Movement and offering a suite of practical tools, the Swiss Digital Initiative aims to empower organisations and individuals to cultivate digital trust in their everyday interactions. Through collaboration, awareness, and the application of ethical principles, the SDI envisions a digital landscape characterised by transparency, reliability, and user-centricity. As technology continues to shape our world, the promotion of digital trust is crucial to foster an inclusive and trustworthy digital future.