Amnesty International report exposes Serbian authorities

Serbian Police and Intelligence Authorities Using Advanced Spyware to Illegally Target Journalists and Activists, Amnesty International Report Reveals

The Serbian police and intelligence authorities are employing advanced phone spyware along with other mobile device tools to unlawfully target journalists, environmental activists, and other individuals in a covert surveillance campaign, according to a new report from Amnesty International, CE Report quotes Kosova Press.

The report, titled "A Digital Prison: Surveillance and the Suppression of Civil Society in Serbia," documents how mobile forensics products manufactured by the Israeli company Cellebrite are being used to extract data from the mobile devices of journalists and activists.

“The report also reveals that Serbian police and the Security Intelligence Agency (Bezbednosno-informativna Agencija – BIA) have deployed a customized Android spyware system, NoviSpy, to covertly infect individuals' devices during detention or police interviews,” the report states, as cited by KosovaPress.

“Our investigation uncovers how Serbian authorities have weaponized surveillance technology and digital repression tactics as tools of broader state control and oppression against civil society,” said Dinushika Dissanayake, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for Europe.

“It also highlights how Cellebrite’s mobile forensic products – widely used by law enforcement and intelligence agencies globally – pose significant risks to human rights defenders, environmental activists, and advocates for freedom of expression when deployed without strict legal oversight and control,” Dissanayake added.

How Cellebrite and NoviSpy Are Used to Target Devices

Cellebrite, an Israeli-founded and headquartered company with offices worldwide, develops the Cellebrite UFED product suite for law enforcement agencies and government entities. This technology enables data extraction from a broad range of mobile devices, including the latest Android phones and iPhone models, even without access to the device's passcode.

While technically less sophisticated than commercial spyware like Pegasus, NoviSpy – a previously unknown Android spyware – still provides Serbian authorities with extensive surveillance capabilities once installed on a target’s device.

NoviSpy can capture sensitive personal data from the targeted phone and remotely activate its microphone or camera. Meanwhile, Cellebrite forensic tools are used to unlock phones prior to spyware infection and to facilitate comprehensive data extraction from the device.