In its judgment of 12 October 2026 (7B_52/2026), the Federal Supreme Court ruled in favour of an internet service provider that had challenged an order requiring it to block access to a website in connection with ongoing criminal proceedings. The website purported to be a stock investment platform but was allegedly designed to defraud inexperienced investors by misleading them into believing that their money was being invested.
The Federal Supreme Court recalled that Swiss law currently allows the blocking of websites in certain specific circumstances, notably to prevent access to unauthorised online gambling platforms, protect the public against illegal pornography and combat unfair commercial practices.
However, neither the Swiss Criminal Code nor the Swiss Criminal Procedure Code currently provides a legal basis for ordering the blocking of a website in criminal proceedings.
The Federal Supreme Court nevertheless noted that such a measure could be an effective tool in combating various forms of online crime, including phishing, the dissemination of violent content or intimate images without consent, defamation, discrimination and hate speech.
The Federal Supreme Court therefore invites the legislator to consider amending the current legal framework to allow website blocking in criminal proceedings.
