TL;DR: Iran has built a comprehensive surveillance system specifically targeting women who don't wear hijab. It includes facial recognition cameras at university entrances and on roads, drones surveilling public events, and the government "Nazer" app that lets citizens report violations. Women receive threatening SMS messages, face fines, have their cars impounded, and can be banned from public services. This is gendered surveillance at industrial scale.
Surveillance as Gender Control
After Mahsa Amini died in morality police custody in September 2022, Iran's enforcement of mandatory hijab laws didn't decrease. It evolved. The regime realized that street patrols by morality police drew international attention and fueled protests. So they went digital.
Today, Iranian women face a surveillance apparatus that follows them everywhere, on the street, at work, at school, in taxis, even in ambulances. The Islamic Republic has deployed every available surveillance technology for a single purpose: ensuring women cover their hair.
Let's break down what they're using.
Facial Recognition: Eyes on Every Entrance
In March 2025, a UN fact-finding mission confirmed that Iran is deploying facial recognition software to identify women not wearing hijab. The technology appears at:
- University entrances: Amirkabir University in Tehran installed facial recognition at its main gates to scan every student entering campus. Other universities have followed.
- Major roadways: Cameras linked to license plate recognition and facial recognition databases
- Government buildings: Entry requires passing through surveilled checkpoints
- Public transportation hubs: Metro stations and bus terminals in major cities
The facial recognition systems are connected to Iran's national ID database, the same biometric data collected for national ID cards. Once you're in the system, the system never forgets your face. [1]
Who built this? Chinese technology companies. Tiandy Technologies has provided facial recognition software and AI-powered cameras to the IRGC and Iranian police since at least 2007. Huawei and Hikvision have also been documented operating in Iran since 2006 and 2008, respectively. [2]
The Nazer App: Crowdsourced Surveillance
"Nazer" means "observer" in Persian. That's exactly what it is, a government-backed app that turns ordinary citizens into surveillance agents.
How it works:
- Any citizen (or police officer) can photograph or report a woman for an alleged hijab violation
- They upload the photo along with details: time, location, and vehicle license plate if applicable
- The target receives a threatening SMS warning
- Repeat offenses trigger fines, vehicle impoundment, or worse
September 2024 expansion: The app's capabilities were expanded to monitor women in ambulances, public transport, and taxis. The message is clear, there is nowhere to hide. [3]
The Nazer app represents something darker than traditional surveillance. It weaponizes social relationships. Your neighbor could report you. Your colleague. A stranger on the street. The regime doesn't need cameras everywhere when it has informants with smartphones everywhere.
This model isn't unique to Iran. East Germany's Stasi pioneered civilian informant networks. China's social credit system encourages reporting. But Iran has optimized it for a smartphone era, making surveillance feel participatory, even gamified.
Drone Surveillance: Eyes in the Sky
Iran has deployed drones at public events and tourist destinations to identify women without hijab. Confirmed locations include:
- Tehran International Book Fair: Drones monitored crowds for dress code violations
- Kish Island (tourist destination): Aerial surveillance of beaches and public areas
- Major public gatherings: Religious and national events
The drones use camera technology capable of facial recognition at distance. Women reported receiving SMS warnings after attending events they didn't know were surveilled. [4]
This is surveillance that you can't see coming. No obvious cameras. No police presence. Just a drone overhead, recording thousands of faces, running them against the national database.
Online Monitoring: Instagram Crackdowns
Iran's surveillance extends to digital spaces. Women have had their Instagram accounts blocked for posting photos without hijab. The government monitors social media for "morality violations" and issues summons to influencers who post content deemed inappropriate. [1]
During the current January 2026 protests, activists, journalists, and social media influencers have received formal warnings and summons for alleged support of the demonstrations. The line between hijab enforcement and protest suppression has completely blurred.
The Punishment Pipeline
What happens when you're flagged by Iran's hijab surveillance system?
- First offense: "Warning" SMS message
- Second offense: Fine (amount varies by province)
- Third offense: Vehicle impoundment for 2-4 weeks
- Repeated offenses: Suspension of public services, including banking and government benefits
- Severe cases: Arrest, court appearances, potential prison sentences
Businesses are also targeted. Shops and restaurants that serve unveiled women have been shut down. Security guards at commercial centers have been ordered to deny entry to women without proper hijab. [5]
The "Hijab and Chastity" bill: Although full implementation was reportedly paused in early 2025 due to resistance, provisions are already being enforced. If fully enacted, the law would:
- Mandate fines of up to $3,000
- Require three months to two years of "reeducation"
- Ban women from government employment for hijab violations
- Explicitly authorize "intelligent systems for identifying perpetrators of illegal behavior using fixed and mobile cameras"
The Chinese Technology Pipeline
None of this would be possible without foreign technology. Iran's surveillance infrastructure is largely Chinese-built:
| Company | Technology | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Tiandy Technologies | Facial recognition, AI emotion detection, thermal cameras | US-blacklisted Dec 2022 |
| Huawei | Network infrastructure, surveillance systems | Active in Iran since 2006 |
| Hikvision | Video surveillance cameras | Active in Iran since 2008 |
| Radis Vira Tejarat | Tiandy's Iranian distributor | EU-sanctioned |
Tiandy's cameras are particularly concerning. They can detect crowds, identify loitering, count people, and recognize individual faces. The company has sold to the IRGC, the same organization responsible for violent crackdowns on protesters. [2]
Chinese customs data shows exports of video-recording equipment to Iran spiked during mass protests. This isn't accidental. It's business.
Resistance: Smashing the Cameras
Iranian citizens are fighting back in a remarkably direct way: they're destroying surveillance cameras. During the current protests, videos have emerged of citizens pulling down and dismantling cameras in public spaces.
This is "analog resistance" against a digital surveillance state. The government has responded by:
- Installing protective cages around cameras
- Increasing penalties for vandalism
- Deploying more cameras to replace destroyed ones
It's an escalating cycle. But the camera-smashing sends a message: surveillance isn't invisible. It has physical components. And physical components can be destroyed.
What You Can Do
If You're in Iran
- Know your face is in the system: If you have a national ID, assume your biometrics are already in surveillance databases
- Vary your routes: Avoid regularly passing the same cameras
- Be careful with taxis: The Nazer app expanded to cover ride-sharing and taxis in 2024
- Use secure messaging: Signal with disappearing messages, or Session if Signal is blocked
- Document surveillance infrastructure: Photos of camera locations can help others avoid them
- Pre-install VPNs: Multiple VPNs with obfuscation, before you need them
If You're Outside Iran
- Pressure surveillance exporters: Tiandy, Huawei, and Hikvision enable this system
- Support sanctions: The US and EU have sanctioned some technology exporters, more is needed
- Run a Snowflake proxy: Help Iranians access censored internet from your browser
- Amplify verified stories: During blackouts, outside coverage is crucial
- Document and archive: Footage that escapes Iran may be evidence for future accountability
The Bigger Picture
Iran's hijab surveillance system is a case study in how surveillance technology enables social control. The tools themselves, facial recognition, drones, reporting apps, are not unique to Iran. They exist everywhere.
What makes Iran's system distinctive is its explicit purpose: controlling women's bodies. This is surveillance as patriarchy. Every camera, every drone, every citizen report through the Nazer app reinforces a system where women are monitored, tracked, and punished for how they dress.
The technology comes from China. The ideology is homegrown. The result is a warning for everywhere else: surveillance systems built for one purpose are easily repurposed for others. Today it's hijab enforcement. Tomorrow it could be anything.
References
- The Guardian - Iran using facial recognition to enforce hijab laws, UN confirms (March 2025)
- Newsweek - China's Surveillance Tech Powers Iran's Crackdown on Women
- Forbes - Iran Expands Nazer App Surveillance to Taxis and Ambulances (October 2025)
- Jerusalem Post - Iran Deploys Drones for Hijab Enforcement
- Center for Human Rights in Iran - Business Closures for Serving Unveiled Women
- Associated Press - Iran's Digital Enforcement of Hijab Laws