Cellebrite, an Israeli digital forensics company, will cease the use of its products in Serbia following a report by Amnesty International accusing Serbian authorities of misusing surveillance tools to target journalists, activists and civil society members in December, Amnesty announced on February 26.

The company’s UFED suite, used by law enforcement and governments globally, allows for the extraction of data from mobile devices, without requiring access to passcodes. Amnesty's report, released in December 2024, detailed how Serbian authorities allegedly used Cellebrite's technology to extract data from activists' and journalists' phones, sometimes enabling the installation of spyware.

Amnesty’s findings raised alarm over the misuse of digital surveillance to target those critical of the government, particularly journalists and environmental activists. The report, titled “A Digital Prison: Surveillance and the Suppression of Civil Society in Serbia”, accused Serbian officials of engaging in covert surveillance of civil society under the guise of law enforcement.

In response to these findings, Cellebrite conducted its own review of the allegations, ultimately affirming Amnesty's report and deciding to suspend its services in Serbia for certain clients. In a statement issued on February 25, the company said: "After a review of the allegations brought forth by the December 2024 Amnesty International report, Cellebrite took precise steps to investigate each claim in accordance with our ethics and integrity policies. We found it appropriate to stop the use of our products by the relevant customers at this time."

Amnesty International welcomed the move. Donncha Ó Cearbhaill, Head of the Security Lab at Amnesty International, stated: "This decision reinforces Amnesty International’s December findings that Serbian police and intelligence routinely misused Cellebrite’s digital forensic equipment outside legally sanctioned processes to target civil society activists and independent journalists critical of the government."

The decision to halt operations in Serbia comes amid ongoing anti-government protests and heightened scrutiny of state surveillance. This week, Serbian police raided the offices of four non-governmental organisations (NGOs) as part of an investigation into the alleged abuse of USAID funds, referencing recent statements from senior US officials regarding a funding freeze.