Serbia has been acquiring ever more sophisticated drones for years – but experts say the lack of regulation and oversight is disturbing, and creates opportunities for abuse.
By Aleksa Tesic
Brian Brkovic, an environmental activist, was surprised by a motionless drone a few meters in front of the window of his apartment in Novi Sad, northern Serbia, on a March morning in 2022. Across the street, the Belgrade-Novi Sad railway line was being inaugurated by Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. It remains unclear if the drone was recording the gathering or Brković’s apartment.
“The drone with a camera stood there for 30 minutes; the scene was Orwellian. I received no prior notification,” Brkovic told BIRN, adding that he’d noticed drones before – at environmental protests.
Serbia’s Ministry of the Interior, MUP, in recent years has acquired various advanced drones, a BIRN analysis of public procurement data reveals. These aircraft use sensors and artificial intelligence for flights, real-time imaging, as well as high-quality cameras and powerful zooms. Some have the option of additional features, allowing them to gather biometric data.
Police use of drones, however, is characterised by a lack of regulation and restrictions over their use, the data they collect and their storage, the experts say.
“Drones are a tool for civilian and military purposes that gather a vast amount of data, and if there is no clear legal regulation on how this data is stored, it is normal that they pose a threat to everyone’s privacy,” Svetlana Stanarevic, a professor at the Faculty of Security in Belgrade, told BIRN.
“If the recordings are used to identify individuals and create dossiers on citizens who’ve [publicly] expressed dissatisfaction, that is prohibited. Citizens are ..
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