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Denis Periša

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Denis Periša
Born
Denis Periša

(1983-07-23) July 23, 1983 (age 43)
Šibenik, SR Croatia, Yugoslavia (now Croatia)
CitizenshipCroatian
OccupationsInformation technology specialist, activist
Known forComputer security, hacktivism, municipal wireless networking
TitleHead of Muzej pobjede, Šibenik
Term2026–present
Websitewww.denis.in

Denis Periša (born July 23, 1983), also known by the online nickname Darkman, is a Croatian information technology specialist and activist from Šibenik. He first attracted national media attention as a teenager after gaining unauthorized access to the computer system and electronic mail of Croatian politician Veselin Pejnović. Later Croatian media described the case as having resulted in a criminal conviction.[1]

Periša later became involved in computer-security work, public technology projects and online-safety advocacy. He founded the ŠI-WIFI community wireless organization and later developed a LoRaWAN sensor network in Šibenik.[2]

By 2026, Croatian media identified Periša as the head of the Šibenik-based Muzej pobjede ("Victory Museum"), which operates within the Zajednica udruga antifašističkih boraca i antifašista Šibensko-kninske županije (ZUABA). In that role he became involved in efforts to restore and protect Šubićevac Memorial Park and developed an artificial-intelligence project intended to identify potentially unlawful hate speech, threats and incitement to violence in publicly available online content.[3]

Computer security and technology

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Early hacking

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Periša became known in Croatian media under the nickname Darkman. In later interviews, he said that as a teenager he took part in broad hacking activity targeting inadequately secured computer systems and that the system belonging to politician Veselin Pejnović had not been deliberately selected.[4]

The incident involving Pejnović led to a police investigation and seizure of Periša's computer equipment. Contemporary newspaper reports stated that he was criminally charged, while later Croatian media described the case as having resulted in a conviction.[5][6][7][8]

By the late 2010s, Croatian media increasingly described Periša as an ethical or white-hat hacker. In a 2019 television report, he said that he had moved away from illegal hacking and that he had on occasion assisted police when his technical expertise was needed.[9][10]

ŠI-WIFI

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Periša founded and served as president of the ŠI-WIFI organization, established in 2005 to develop a community wireless network in Šibenik.[11]

In 2010, Periša publicly criticised municipal spending on a separate wireless-network project, arguing that the system was overpriced and inadequately implemented.[12]

After a change in city administration, Periša was engaged to rebuild and maintain Šibenik's public wireless network in 2014. The system used ten public nodes and approximately thirty antennas and access points.[13]

The ŠI-WIFI organization was closed in November 2017, after which a new municipal network was established.[14]

LoRaWAN

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In 2019, Periša built and installed a municipal sensor network in Šibenik using LoRaWAN technology on the European 868 MHz band. Local media described Šibenik as the first city in the region to deploy such a network.[15][16]

Periša continued experimenting with small networked devices and local technology projects. In 2024, ŠibenikIN reported on a device he designed to replace direct telephone calls with a message-based notification system.[17]

Activism

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Online threats and hate-speech reporting

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Beginning in 2017, Periša publicly reported online messages involving threats, incitement to violence and content he considered hate speech to Croatian police and the State Attorney's Office of the Republic of Croatia (DORH). He also appeared on Croatian television discussing how potentially unlawful online content could be reported.[18]

Following one such report in 2017, media reported that Periša himself received threats and was temporarily placed under police protection.[19]

Anonymous

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In a 2012 interview with ŠibenikIN, Periša said that he had participated in activities associated with the decentralised Anonymous movement, including opposition to the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA).[20]

COVID-19 pandemic

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During the COVID-19 pandemic in Croatia, Periša was part of a local group using 3D printing to manufacture protective face shields for medical personnel. The equipment was distributed to health facilities and emergency services in the Šibenik area, including Murter, Drniš and Knin.[21][22][23]

Political and antifascist activism

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Periša has publicly identified as an antifascist and has periodically discussed possible involvement in local politics. In a 2021 interview he said that he was interested in entering local politics in a future election cycle but that he considered people and projects more important than party affiliation.[24]

On November 30, 2025, Periša participated in the Ujedinjeni protiv fašizma ("United Against Fascism") march in Zadar. During the event, police detained him in connection with an investigation into damage to a memorial plaque dedicated to Rajko Lozo. He was subsequently released.[25]

On December 4, the Zadar Police Administration told Slobodna Dalmacija that investigative measures and evidentiary actions conducted up to that point had not resulted in a criminal complaint against any person and that the investigation was continuing.[26]

Muzej pobjede and Šubićevac Memorial Park

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By August 2026, Croatian media identified Periša as the head of the Šibenik-based Muzej pobjede ("Victory Museum"), which operates within the Zajednica udruga antifašističkih boraca i antifašista Šibensko-kninske županije (ZUABA). Periša said that he had taken up a position of trust for the museum and ZUABA in May 2026.[27]

One of the museum's projects concerns the restoration and renewed public use of the protected Šubićevac Memorial Park (Spomen-park Šubićevac). A comprehensive restoration project was publicly presented in November 2018, with interdisciplinary workshops and related activities continuing in 2019. By 2026, much of the proposed restoration remained unrealised. After taking over the museum's management, Periša said that the museum intended to revive the project, reconstruct and digitise surviving project documentation, and work with the City of Šibenik and conservation authorities on its implementation.[28][29]

2026 concert dispute

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In the days preceding a concert by Croatian singer Marko Perković at the adjacent Šubićevac stadium on August 4, 2026, temporary facilities associated with the event were placed within the protected memorial complex. Muzej pobjede objected to the use of the memorial area and contacted the police and the Ministry of Culture and Media's conservation service.[30]

The City of Šibenik had issued concert organiser Infinite Show d.o.o. an authorization dated July 27 to occupy and use 11,827 square metres of city-owned property, identified in the document as a cultural property and public surface, in connection with the concert.[31]

Following the museum's complaint, the Šibenik conservation service informed Muzej pobjede that it had already contacted the City on July 29 regarding portable toilets placed within the memorial complex, which were subsequently removed. After additional structures appeared, conservators inspected the site and found that tent canopies and access ramps had been installed without the service's prior approval. The conservation service instructed the City, as owner of the cultural property, to act in accordance with heritage-protection requirements and stated that it would report the matter to the Ministry's inspection service.[32]

On August 12, ZUABA of Šibenik-Knin County filed a criminal complaint with the Municipal State Attorney's Office in Šibenik against responsible persons associated with the concert organiser and unidentified contractors. The complaint cited Article 319 of the Croatian Criminal Code, concerning damage to or destruction of cultural property.[33]

The complaint alleged that trees and native vegetation had been removed and the enclosure of the protected memorial complex breached during preparations for the event. ZUABA also stated that police had made an official record on August 2 following its earlier report. These allegations had not, at the time of reporting, been adjudicated by a court.[34]

AI against online hate speech

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In 2026, Muzej pobjede launched a project called AI protiv govora mržnje online ("AI against online hate speech"), designed and led by Periša. The system is intended to analyse publicly available online posts and comments and identify material that may constitute threats, incitement to violence or unlawful hate speech.[35]

According to Periša, the system can collect the surrounding discussion, links to the relevant material, timestamps, screenshots of the post and its context, screenshots of publicly accessible profile information and other material relevant to documenting a case. The collected information is then structured for further review rather than treating an AI-generated assessment as a legal determination.[36]

At the 2026 FALIŠ festival in Šibenik, Periša publicly presented the system during the round-table discussion Antifašizam 21. stoljeća ("Antifascism in the 21st Century"). Forum.tm described it as a "project of digital antifascism" and reported that the system detects potentially relevant online content, collects its context, screenshots and profile information, and prepares reports that are reviewed by a person before possible submission to the State Attorney's Office.[37]

Periša told the audience that the idea developed after his detention during the 2025 antifascist march in Zadar, when he began systematically reporting potentially unlawful online content. He said that the system was subsequently developed to make that process more systematic.[38]

A video report published by VIDA documents Periša explaining the project and its operation at FALIŠ.[39]

Public appearances

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Periša has appeared in public discussions, television programmes, festivals, interviews and podcasts on computer security, technology, privacy and, more recently, political and antifascist activism.

In September 2014, he gave a guest lecture at the Split Film Festival entitled "Hacking and (Privacy) Protection".[40][41]

That year he was also interviewed by H-Alter about hacking, online privacy and surveillance.[42]

During the summer of 2014, Periša also gave a presentation on the island of Prvić on hacking, communication and creative thinking.[43]

On May 14, 2019, Periša appeared in RTL's investigative programme Potraga, where he demonstrated a man-in-the-middle attack and discussed techniques used to compromise mobile devices and online accounts.[44]

In October 2019, Periša received media attention after having an xNT NFC implant inserted into his hand. He described the implant as a biohacking experiment and discussed possible uses for identification, authentication and contactless interaction.[45][46]

In November 2019, he spoke at the Potrošači digitalnog doba ("Consumers of the Digital Age") conference in Split, discussing computer security, online privacy and biohacking.[47]

On September 3, 2020, Periša was a scheduled guest at the eighth FALIŠ (Festival alternative i ljevice Šibenik). Journalist Marko Podrug conducted a public interview with him entitled Sva velika braća nas gledaju ("All the Big Brothers Are Watching Us"), dealing with surveillance, technology and privacy.[48]

In January 2022, 24sata published a video profile of Periša about his NFC implant, hacking background and computer-security work.[49]

In February 2022, HRT featured Periša in a report about cybercrime and ethical hacking. The report discussed his early hacking activity and his later work in computer security.[50]

In November 2023, Periša gave an extended interview to the local civic website Šibenik zaslužuje bolje discussing traffic-surveillance cameras, local politics, municipal technology, the ship Tijat, the ŠI-WIFI network and LoRaWAN.[51]

In May 2024, Slobodna Dalmacija profiled Periša in connection with his volunteer removal and relocation of snakes found in urban areas around Šibenik.[52]

On September 27, 2024, Periša was the first guest of the Šibenik-based Druga strana medalje podcast. The interview covered his computer-security background, technology, local projects and political and civic issues in Šibenik.[53]

He returned to the podcast on December 18, 2025. The second interview focused on his detention following the Zadar antifascist march, online hate-speech reporting, development of an AI-assisted monitoring system and several technology prototypes.[54]

On December 22, 2025, he was interviewed by VIDA info about his detention in Zadar and the investigation concerning the damaged Rajko Lozo memorial plaque.[55]

In August 2026, Novosti published an extended interview with Periša in his capacity as head of Muzej pobjede. The interview discussed the museum's activities, restoration plans for Šubićevac Memorial Park, online political radicalisation and the museum's AI-assisted hate-speech documentation project.[56]

On September 4, 2026, during FALIŠ's round-table discussion Antifašizam 21. stoljeća ("Antifascism in the 21st Century") at Mala loža in Šibenik, Periša spoke from the audience and presented the AI-assisted project developed through Muzej pobjede. The official programme listed constitutional-law professor Sanja Barić, political scientist Stevo Đurašković and human-rights activist Vesna Teršelič as the scheduled participants, with journalist Damir Pilić as moderator; Periša was not a scheduled panelist.[57]

Forum.tm, reporting on the discussion, identified Periša as the head of Muzej pobjede and described his presentation of the project, including its use of artificial intelligence to detect potentially unlawful online content and assemble contextual evidence for human review before possible referral to prosecutors.[58]

A video report uploaded by VIDA under the title Fašiste će uskoro loviti i umjetna inteligencija documents Periša explaining the project and its operation at FALIŠ.[59]

References

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  1. ↑ "Kako funkcionira botnet, takozvana zombi mreža, i koji se podaci najčešće kradu?". 24sata (in Croatian). May 12, 2022. Retrieved September 7, 2026.
  2. ↑ "Šibenik je upravo zakoračio u budućnost interneta i postao pametni grad, Denis Periša nam je sve pojasnio". ŠibenikIN (in Croatian). March 17, 2019. Archived from the original on April 18, 2021.
  3. ↑ Jasić Gašić, Mirna (August 16, 2026). "Denis Periša: Borba protiv fašizma danas mora uključivati i digitalni prostor". Novosti (in Croatian). Retrieved September 7, 2026.
  4. ↑ "Haker otkriva kako je od 'Darkmana' postao cyber junak koji radi za policiju". Večernji list (in Croatian). May 14, 2019. Retrieved September 7, 2026.
  5. ↑ Večernji list, September 17, 1999 "Sixteen-year-old hacker broke in to personal computer and network of Veselin Pejnović"
  6. ↑ Jutarnji list, September 18, 1999 "Hackers are thieves"
  7. ↑ Slobodna Dalmacija, September 19, 1999 "Šibenik hacker gets criminally charged"
  8. ↑ "Kako funkcionira botnet, takozvana zombi mreža, i koji se podaci najčešće kradu?". 24sata (in Croatian). May 12, 2022. Retrieved September 7, 2026.
  9. ↑ "Hrvatski haker pokazao kako vam može provaliti u mobitel". Index.hr (in Croatian). May 14, 2019. Retrieved September 7, 2026.
  10. ↑ "Haker otkriva kako je od 'Darkmana' postao cyber junak koji radi za policiju". Večernji list (in Croatian). May 14, 2019. Retrieved September 7, 2026.
  11. ↑ Metro Express, March 15, 2007. "They use WIFI to wirelessly network whole town of Šibenik"
  12. ↑ Slobodna Dalmacija, August 11, 2010. "With 50.000kn I could network three towns, not just one"
  13. ↑ "Mreža svih mreža: Besplatni gradski wireless napokon u funkciji". Šibenski portal (in Croatian). April 27, 2014. Archived from the original on April 19, 2021.
  14. ↑ ŠI-WIFI official document
  15. ↑ "Šibenik je upravo zakoračio u budućnost interneta i postao pametni grad, Denis Periša nam je sve pojasnio". ŠibenikIN (in Croatian). March 17, 2019. Archived from the original on April 18, 2021.
  16. ↑ "Šibenik uvodi sustav LoRaWAN". Slobodna Dalmacija (in Croatian). March 3, 2019.
  17. ↑ "Denis Periša osmislio uređaj za sve koji se ne vole javljati na mobitel: 'Prošlo je vrijeme zivkanja'". ŠibenikIN (in Croatian). March 19, 2024. Retrieved September 7, 2026.
  18. ↑ "Denis Periša prijavio DORH-u momka koji je na Fejsu hvalio ubojicu iz Čiste Velike". Slobodna Dalmacija (in Croatian). March 30, 2017.
  19. ↑ "Dan nakon prijave nasilja DORH-u i sam završio pod policijskom zaštitom". Republika.eu (in Croatian). March 30, 2017. Archived from the original on December 14, 2017.
  20. ↑ "Anonymousi su moderni Robin Hoodi". ŠibenikIN (in Croatian). February 22, 2012. Archived from the original on January 14, 2015.
  21. ↑ "Šibenčanin Denis Periša planira izraditi zaštitne maske pomoću 3D printera za osoblje šibenske bolnice". ŠibenikIN (in Croatian). March 24, 2020. Archived from the original on April 21, 2021.
  22. ↑ "Prve 3D zaštitne maske su otišle na Murter: 'Nisam spavao, printam cijelu noć'". ŠibenikIN (in Croatian). March 26, 2020. Archived from the original on April 21, 2021.
  23. ↑ "3D printeri i u Šibeniku rade punom parom: Medicinski viziri iz manufakture u Narančastoj zgradi". Slobodna Dalmacija (in Croatian). March 26, 2020.
  24. ↑ "Denis Periša a.k.a. Darkman: Ulazim u politiku, zanimaju me dobre ideje i kvalitetni ljudi, a ne stranačka pripadnost". Šibenik zaslužuje bolje (in Croatian). May 27, 2021. Retrieved September 7, 2026.
  25. ↑ Ivanac, Iva (December 4, 2025). "Šibenski haker Denis Periša priveden zbog razbijene ploče 'ustaškom sinu': 'Imam dokaze, nisam to napravio!'". Slobodna Dalmacija (in Croatian). Retrieved September 7, 2026.
  26. ↑ "Zadarska policija još uvijek traga za počiniteljem koji je razbio ploču Rajku Lozi". Slobodna Dalmacija (in Croatian). December 4, 2025. Retrieved September 7, 2026.
  27. ↑ Jasić Gašić, Mirna (August 16, 2026). "Denis Periša: Borba protiv fašizma danas mora uključivati i digitalni prostor". Novosti (in Croatian). Retrieved September 7, 2026.
  28. ↑ "Sedam godina od najave: velika obnova Spomen parka na Šubićevcu stala je na sanaciji zidova". Šibenik zaslužuje bolje (in Croatian). August 7, 2026. Retrieved September 7, 2026.
  29. ↑ Jasić Gašić, Mirna (August 16, 2026). "Denis Periša: Borba protiv fašizma danas mora uključivati i digitalni prostor". Novosti (in Croatian). Retrieved September 7, 2026.
  30. ↑ "Evo što kažu konzervatori o postavljenim nadstrešnicama i rampama u Spomen parku Šubićevac". ŠibenikIN (in Croatian). August 3, 2026. Retrieved September 7, 2026.
  31. ↑ "ODOBRENJE - zauzimanje i korištenje nekretnine - čest.br. 940/1 KO Šibenik". City of Šibenik (in Croatian). July 27, 2026. Retrieved September 7, 2026.
  32. ↑ "Evo što kažu konzervatori o postavljenim nadstrešnicama i rampama u Spomen parku Šubićevac". ŠibenikIN (in Croatian). August 3, 2026. Retrieved September 7, 2026.
  33. ↑ "Šibenski antifašisti podnijeli kaznenu prijavu protiv organizatora Thompsonovog koncerta". ŠibenikIN (in Croatian). August 12, 2026. Retrieved September 7, 2026.
  34. ↑ "Šibenski antifašisti podnijeli kaznenu prijavu protiv organizatora Thompsonovog koncerta". ŠibenikIN (in Croatian). August 12, 2026. Retrieved September 7, 2026.
  35. ↑ Jasić Gašić, Mirna (August 16, 2026). "Denis Periša: Borba protiv fašizma danas mora uključivati i digitalni prostor". Novosti (in Croatian). Retrieved September 7, 2026.
  36. ↑ Jasić Gašić, Mirna (August 16, 2026). "Denis Periša: Borba protiv fašizma danas mora uključivati i digitalni prostor". Novosti (in Croatian). Retrieved September 7, 2026.
  37. ↑ "Kad se ustaštvo normalizira, antifašizam više nije povijest nego obrana sadašnjosti". Forum.tm (in Croatian). September 6, 2026. Retrieved September 7, 2026.
  38. ↑ "Kad se ustaštvo normalizira, antifašizam više nije povijest nego obrana sadašnjosti". Forum.tm (in Croatian). September 6, 2026. Retrieved September 7, 2026.
  39. ↑ Fašiste će uskoro loviti i umjetna inteligencija (in Croatian). VIDA. Event occurs at 2:20. Retrieved September 7, 2026 – via YouTube.
  40. ↑ "Hacking and (Privacy) Protection – lecture". Split Film Festival. September 4, 2014.
  41. ↑ "Šibenčanin Denis Periša drži predavanje o hakiranju na Splitskom filmskom festivalu". ŠibenikIN (in Croatian). September 4, 2014. Archived from the original on January 13, 2015.
  42. ↑ "Stol do stola putem mobitela". H-Alter (in Croatian). September 19, 2014. Archived from the original on April 13, 2021.
  43. ↑ "Dan na otoku Prviću: U potrazi za izgubljenom komunikacijom". TRIS (in Croatian). October 10, 2014.
  44. ↑ "Hrvatski haker pokazao kako vam može provaliti u mobitel". Index.hr (in Croatian). May 14, 2019. Retrieved September 7, 2026.
  45. ↑ "Ne voli da ga zovu kiborgom: Denis Periša otkrio nam je što radi s čipom u ruci i koji su mu novi pothvati". tportal.hr (in Croatian). October 11, 2019. Retrieved September 7, 2026.
  46. ↑ "Prvi hrvatski kiborg ima čip u ruci: 'Njime ću plaćati račune'". 24sata (in Croatian). October 10, 2019. Retrieved September 7, 2026.
  47. ↑ "Poznati šibenski haker na predavanju u Splitu". Slobodna Dalmacija (in Croatian). November 26, 2019.
  48. ↑ "FALIŠ neće falit: 'Hoće li festivala biti? Eto, hoće. Mora!'". TRIS (in Croatian). August 17, 2020. Retrieved September 7, 2026.
  49. ↑ "Denis je hrvatski kiborg: 'Dao sam si ugraditi čip u ruku, čak su mi bili i prijetili zbog njega'". 24sata (in Croatian). January 31, 2022. Retrieved September 7, 2026.
  50. ↑ "Jednom je hakeru policija pokucala na vrata, za drugim traga, a što rade bijeli hakeri?". HRT (in Croatian). February 15, 2022. Retrieved September 7, 2026.
  51. ↑ "Grad u žiži: Intervju s Denisom Perišom o prometnim kamerama, Tijatu, političkim ambicijama i tehnološkim projektima koji bi doveli grad na viši nivo". Šibenik zaslužuje bolje (in Croatian). November 23, 2023. Retrieved September 7, 2026.
  52. ↑ Periša, Branimir (May 18, 2024). "Kako je haker i komunist postao i volonterski lovac na zmije". Slobodna Dalmacija (in Croatian). Retrieved September 7, 2026.
  53. ↑ "Denis Periša a.k.a. Darkman". Druga strana medalje (in Croatian). September 27, 2024. Retrieved September 7, 2026.
  54. ↑ "Denis Periša o uhićenju na Antifa maršu, o uređaju za brzu vožnju i štošta". Druga strana medalje (in Croatian). December 18, 2025. Retrieved September 7, 2026.
  55. ↑ "VIDA info – Intervju: Denis Periša – Uhićen zbog ustaške ploče". Apple Podcasts (in Croatian). December 22, 2025. Retrieved September 7, 2026.
  56. ↑ Jasić Gašić, Mirna (August 16, 2026). "Denis Periša: Borba protiv fašizma danas mora uključivati i digitalni prostor". Novosti (in Croatian). Retrieved September 7, 2026.
  57. ↑ "Program". FALIŠ (in Croatian). 2026. Retrieved September 7, 2026.
  58. ↑ "Kad se ustaštvo normalizira, antifašizam više nije povijest nego obrana sadašnjosti". Forum.tm (in Croatian). September 6, 2026. Retrieved September 7, 2026.
  59. ↑ Fašiste će uskoro loviti i umjetna inteligencija (in Croatian). VIDA. Event occurs at 2:20. Retrieved September 7, 2026 – via YouTube.
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