Serbians targeted with spyware in country’s ‘largest documented wave of surveillance’
At least 14 members of Serbian civil society, including student protesters, were infected with advanced spyware in what digital rights group Share Foundation calls the largest documented surveillance wave in Serbia. The infections came to light in August after Apple alerted probable spyware victims across 110 countries.
Why this matters: Student protesters getting hit with mercenary spyware is not a coincidence. It is a signal about who governments feel threatened by and what tools they are willing to use. Serbia's government denies it, but the targets were not random. Civil society, activists, and protesters are exactly who this kind of surveillance is designed to silence. Mercenary spyware is sold commercially, which means accountability is diffuse by design. No one company, no one government, no one clearly responsible. That is the whole point.
Who should care: Cybersecurity · Privacy officers · Administrators · General readers · Policy
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