Federal and cantonal authorities and organisations that the Confederation or the cantons have mandated to fulfil public tasks are obliged in specific cases and on justified request to provide the FIS with the information required to identify or repel a specific threat to internal or external security or to safeguard other important national interests in accordance with Article 3.
A specific threat to internal or external security is established if a significant legal interest such as the life and limb or the liberty of persons or the existence and functioning of the state is affected and the threat comes from:
terrorist activities in the sense of attempts to influence or change the framework of the state that are realised or encouraged by committing or threatening to commit serious offences or by spreading fear and alarm;
espionage in terms of Articles 272–274 and 301 of the Criminal Code (SCC)1and Articles 86 and 93 of the Military Criminal Code of 13 June 19272;
ABC proliferation or the illegal trade in radioactive substances, war material and other armaments;
an attack on critical infrastructure; or
violent extremist activities in the sense of efforts by organisations that reject democratic and constitutional values and which commit, incite or endorse acts of violence in order to achieve their objectives.
The authorities and organisations mentioned in paragraph 1 are required to preserve secrecy in relation to third parties with regard to the request and any information provided. They are permitted to inform their superiors and supervisory bodies.
They may file a report without having to be requested to do so if they identify a specific threat to internal or external security in terms of paragraph 2.
The Federal Council shall specify in an ordinance the organisations that are required to provide information; these include in particular public and private organisations that do not form part of the Federal Administration but which issue legislation or first-instance rulings as defined in Article 5 of the Administrative Procedure Act of 20 December 19683or which fulfil executive tasks that have been delegated to them by the Confederation; the cantons are not regarded as such organisations.