Leo S.
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Verified by
Sander D.
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Last updated:
July 23, 2024
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(0)
The history of Serbia began many centuries ago but the perhaps one of its most important periods happened relatively recently with the breakup of Yugoslavia. The State Union of Serbia and Montenegro was formed by the two countries and lasted until 2006, at which point both decided to sign a dissolution and proclaim the independence of their respective lands.
Such independence brought freedom to Serbians, even when it comes to the state of its internet, since the government doesn’t formally impose restrictions on access. However, some Serbians believe that their online activities are monitored and there are some examples in the past of where this freedom had not been respected. Fortunately, VPNs are legal in the country, so the population can still rely on them to increase their personal security and maintain anonymity.
The development of the internet in Serbia – and the entire Balkan region – has faced many obstacles over the years, but today the country at least has acceptable coverage. Serbia has nearly 9,000,000 inhabitants and in 2016 54% of them used the internet regularly, though the speeds are not the best. While some ISPs do offer fiber optic connections to households, the most affordable plans usually grant no more than 60Mbit/s and these are the most popular options.
The good news is that there are no restrictions on websites or access, so the most popular social media channels, VoIP or even streaming services can be used without concern. A Serbian IP address will have no issues accessing Facebook, Twitter or YouTube, which are usually the most wanted targets of the most oppressive regimes. Similarly, Skype and WhatsApp can also be used for text messages and voice or video calls without any restrictions.
The member states of the European Union are ruled by the so-called Data Protection Directive and though Serbia is not one of them, the country’s Personal Data Protection Act from 2008 resembles some of the most basic and important principles from it. The requirement for user consent before user data can be legally collected and the one-year limit that such data can be stored are just two similarities. In addition, all legal entities or public authorities responsible for processing personal user data must notify the Serbian Data Protection Authority in advance of their intention to process such information.
Consent is even more important when it comes to sensitive data. For such entities to be allowed to process details of nationality, race, religion, health, political affiliation and other similar sensitive data, they first need the person’s written consent. Moreover, this document must provide not only the full description of the data to be processed, but also the purpose of such processing and in what manner the data will be used.
This topic isn’t quite as clear cut as it might seem in Serbia as there are many questions still in the air. The country’s constitution and law enable freedom of speech and press, but there have been some cases in the past where this was not respected. One of them happened at the end of 2013, for instance, following one of Serbia’s most dramatic floods that killed more than 50 people. As written by IPS News, many websites and blogs criticizing the government’s behavior were shut down, which resulted in the arrest of 30 people for what the Public Prosecutor’s Office called a “dissemination of false news and panic”. Some less positive posts even led Facebook users to spend days in custody and face trials, too
But on the other hand, when it comes to the most common and popular websites there are fortunately no restrictions. Social media platforms are fully accessible and VoIP services don’t impose any limitations to Serbian numbers either. However, unsurprisingly torrenting copyright content is not permitted.
Serbians don’t need to spend much time looking for streaming services since they already have access to the most famous and popular one. In 2016 Netflix decided it was going to conquer the world and the Balkans weren’t left out of its plans. Curiously enough, the size of Netflix’s content library in Serbia – while still far from the American one – is very good, as there are more shows and movies here than in some of the more developed European countries like Spain, Italy or Austria, for instance.
In addition, Serbia is one of the very few European countries where HBO GO has already reached, which is great news for fans of Game of Thrones, Westworld and many other of the producer’s popular shows. A VPN is very important in this case since users from outside the country will be unable to use the service. And when it comes to music services, Spotify and other popular alternatives are also available in Serbia.
When people look for VPNs capable of providing great speeds, ExpressVPN is always one of the most common picks. This is not surprising by any means since the company stays loyal to its name by delivering good, consistent connections across the world. And when it comes to the network, it’s surely a joy to see over 2,000 servers in 94 countries offering all of the most demanded protocols, although Serbia is only accessible via OpenVPN. Nonetheless, ExpressVPN also features great device support and unlimited bandwidth, not to mention the company allows a full month of risk-free testing by offering a 30-day refund time.
There are many valid reasons to pick CyberGhost, but perhaps the most common one is how good this VPN looks and feels to all users. Its desktop client is one of the best and easiest to use, which will make both beginners feel at home right from the start and draw in advanced users with great customization. CyberGhost has nearly 2,000 servers in 60 countries and a couple of them are located in Serbia as well. The list of features is remarkable but some of the biggest highlights are the fact that the company provides secure connections and allows up to seven simultaneous connections, and the service can be properly tested thanks to the fact that all purchases include a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Using the best encryption level on the market is enough for most VPN users, but some enthusiasts require just a little bit more than that. For all those people the best option is to choose NordVPN, one of the very few providers that offers the so-called double encryption. However, this is only applied on some of its servers and so NordVPN is just as suitable for every sort of user with a VPN network composed of more than 4,000 servers. There are over 60 countries in total and Serbia is just one of them, but NordVPN also permits the use of its 30-day money-back guarantee for risk-free testing of its unlimited bandwidth, consistent speeds and many other reliable features.
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