Amnesty, Serbia govt targeting journalists, activists

(ANSA-AFP) - BELGRADE, DEC 16 - Serbian authorities have been using sophisticated digital surveillance technology to spy on journalists and activists in the Balkan country, Amnesty International said in a new report published Monday. According to the report -- "A Digital Prison" -- Serbian authorities have deployed spyware that "provides Serbian authorities with extensive surveillance capabilities once installed on a target's device". The report includes testimonies of a journalist and activist who accused authorities of covertly installing spyware on their devices while in custody and during an interview with officials. "Our investigation reveals how Serbian authorities have deployed surveillance technology and digital repression tactics as instruments of wider state control and repression directed against civil society," said Dinushika Dissanayake, Amnesty International's deputy regional director for Europe. The report highlights the use of the Cellebrite and NoviSpy software and forensic tools to target phones and devices belonging to members of civil society. (ANSA-AFP).