Serbian activists allege phone spyware before snap poll

Serbian activists and opposition figures said Wednesday that phones of people linked to an anti-corruption protest movement had been infected with advanced spyware ahead of an expected snap poll.

Digital rights group SHARE Foundation said at least 14 people connected to the movement had been targeted. It described the recent cases as the largest documented wave of such surveillance in Serbia to date and said it had fully confirmed three cases with teams from Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto and Amnesty International.

According to their analysis, Pegasus spyware and a Serbian-made virus called NoviSpy were used. SHARE Foundation said both tools can secretly access phone messages and location data and activate a phone's camera and microphone.

Those targeted included protesters, activists, an opposition lawmaker and a local councillor.

Serbian authorities denied having information about the use of spying software. Ana Brnabic, the president of Serbia's parliament, denied the allegations and questioned whether such expensive spyware would be used against a small group without evidence that it had been used.

The protest movement, led mainly by students, began after a railway station roof collapse killed 16 people in November 2024. The disaster became a symbol for protesters denouncing corruption, and demands for a transparent investigation developed into calls for President Aleksandar Vucic to hold early elections.

Vucic said last month that a snap poll would be held in October, nearly a year earlier than scheduled.

SHARE Foundation's Andrijana Ristic said some of the spyware involved was sold only to governments and cost millions of euros to use. Student protester Ela Zekovic said the timing of the alleged hack coincided with municipal elections earlier this year.

Amnesty International has previously accused Serbian authorities of using sophisticated digital surveillance technology, including NoviSpy, to access phones of journalists and activists. Serbia's intelligence agency and police have dismissed those allegations as “absurd”.