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Iran Expands Digital Surveillance to Enforce Hijab Laws, UN Report Finds

The Iranian government is utilizing drones, facial recognition, and a citizen-reporting app to monitor and penalize women violating mandatory hijab regulations, according to a UN investigation.

The UN's Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran said Tehran was perpetuating a "climate of fear"
FILE - An Iranian woman, without a mandatory headscarf, or hijab, walks in downtown Tehran, Iran, June 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi, File)
An Iranian woman wears traditional dresses and performs with a wooden goat doll, a symbol of the arrival of spring, in a ceremony to welcome the Iranian New Year outside the Cinema Museum in northern Tehran, Iran, on March 14, 2025. Nowruz, meaning ''New Day,'' the Iranian New Year, marks the arrival of spring on the vernal equinox. It symbolizes renewal and features traditions like spring cleaning and the Haft-Sin table. Celebrated across many countries, it is recognized by UNESCO as cultural heritage. (Photo by Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via AP)
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Overview

  • Iran's 'Nazer' app allows citizens and police to report women not adhering to hijab laws, flagging vehicles and sending warnings to their owners.
  • Facial recognition technology has been installed at Tehran's Amirkabir University and surveillance drones deployed in public spaces for hijab enforcement.
  • The UN report accuses Iran of systemic human rights violations, including crimes against humanity, in its crackdown on women and dissent since the 2022 protests sparked by Mahsa Amini's death.
  • The proposed 'Hijab and Chastity' law, though currently suspended, threatens severe penalties, including imprisonment and fines, for non-compliance with hijab mandates.
  • Iran's increased reliance on technology amplifies state control, extending repression to digital spaces and targeting activists, both domestically and abroad.