Serbia has quietly imported over 20 IMSI catchers in the past decade—devices capable of sweeping up mobile communications indiscriminately. Critics say their use is unregulated, sparking serious privacy concerns.
An investigation by BIRN revealed that these surveillance tools, sourced from Switzerland, Finland, and Britain, are often used to geolocate and intercept calls and messages, bypassing traditional safeguards like court orders. In one case, Serbia’s Ministry of Interior spent more than €2 million on a single device.
Civil rights groups warn the technology could be abused, especially against anti-government protesters. “There’s no public regulation for this tech,” said Jelena Pejic Nikic of the Belgrade Centre for Security Policy. “This threatens privacy, free expression, and assembly rights.”
With no effective oversight, experts are calling for stricter controls and independent monitoring of the powerful spy tools now in Serbian hands.
