Iran must halt state-sponsored surveillance tech to enforce mandatory hijab laws on women

Skyline International for Human Rights is deeply alarmed by the findings of the recent United Nations report, which exposes the Iranian government’s systematic use of surveillance technology to monitor, spot, and punish women and girls for alleged hijab violations. This state-sponsored campaign of gender-based oppression flagrantly violates fundamental human rights, including the rights to privacy and freedom of expression, and marks a dangerous escalation in Iran’s efforts to institutionalize gender apartheid.

Technology as a Tool of Oppression

According to the UN report, Iranian authorities are leveraging advanced technologies—such as facial recognition software, AI-driven monitoring, and location tracking apps—to identify and penalize women who do not comply with compulsory hijab laws or show support for the protests. These tools have created a pervasive climate of fear, forcing women to self-censor and severely limiting their participation in public life.

A central tool in this crackdown is a mobile app called 'Nazer'—which translates to "observer" or "monitor" in Arabic—developed and operated by FARAJA, Iran’s Law Enforcement Command. This app reportedly enables authorized individuals, including police officers, to report women suspected of violating hijab laws by uploading their vehicle’s license plate number, location, and time of the alleged infraction. Once flagged, law enforcement sends a real-time warning to the vehicle owner, with repeated violations leading to vehicle impoundment. In September 2024, Iranian authorities expanded the app’s reach to ambulances, taxis, and public transport, further tightening restrictions on women’s mobility and deepening the surveillance state’s grip on daily life.

Iran has also intensified its use of aerial drones and facial recognition technology to enforce hijab laws. In April 2024, security forces deployed drones over Tehran and southern Iran to monitor women in public spaces. Meanwhile, facial recognition systems were installed at key locations, including Amirkabir University in Tehran, to track and penalize women students. These measures represent a chilling expansion of state control, weaponizing technology to suppress women’s freedoms and silence dissent.

Legal Cover for Digital Oppression

The Iranian Constitution, in Article 25, explicitly prohibits all forms of spying and guarantees the right to personal privacy. However, Iran lacks a comprehensive data protection law, leaving personal information vulnerable to state abuse. While a draft Personal Data Protection Plan—loosely modeled after the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)—was introduced in September 2021, it remains stalled in parliament. This legal vacuum enables authorities to exploit digital surveillance tools with impunity, in direct violation of Iran’s constitutional principles and international human rights standards.

Under the controversial hijab bill approved in September 2023 but paused a year later in December 2024, women who do not comply with hijab laws face penalties of up to 10 years in prison, fines equivalent to $12,000, or even the death penalty under Article 286 of Iran’s Islamic Penal Code for those accused of “corruption on earth.” These draconian measures, coupled with the increasing use of surveillance technology, pose a grave threat to women’s rights and freedoms.

The Iranian government has a long history of violently suppressing women’s rights under the pretext of enforcing hijab laws. In 2022, the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman detained by Iran’s morality police for an alleged hijab violation, ignited nationwide protests under the rallying cry of “Woman, Life, Freedom.” The government responded with brutal force—shutting down internet access, blocking social media, and using digital surveillance to track, arrest, and imprison activists, journalists, and protesters. Hundreds were killed, and thousands were detained in a violent crackdown that laid bare the deep-seated anger over Iran’s oppressive gender policies.

Skyline International Rights unequivocally condemns the Iranian government’s use of surveillance technology and discriminatory laws to enforce gender-based oppression. As the UN report underscores, these tactics disproportionately harm women and girls, subjecting them to harassment, fines, imprisonment, and state-sponsored intimidation for exercising their basic rights.

We call on authorities in Iran to:

1. Immediately halt the use of digital surveillance tools, including drones, facial recognition systems, and apps like Nazer to monitor, track, and punish women. 
2. Uphold the right to privacy as enshrined in Iran’s constitution and international human rights law, and end the weaponization of technology against women and girls.
3. Guarantee freedom of expression and access to information, ensuring that women can participate fully in public and digital spaces without fear of censorship or retaliation. 
4. Accelerate the approval of a robust data protection framework, aligned with international standards such as the GDPR, to safeguard personal data against state misuse for surveillance and control.
5. Urgently repeal compulsory hijab laws and disband the morality police, whose systematic violation of women’s rights has persisted for decades.

Advanced technologies must not be weaponized as tools of oppression or state-sponsored harassment, nor should they be used to enforce discriminatory practices, restrict women’s freedom of movement, or perpetuate structural oppression and marginalization. Skyline International for Human Rights stands in unwavering solidarity with the women of Iran in their courageous struggle for dignity, freedom, and equality.