Iran using drones, facial recognition tools, apps to spot women without hijab, claims UN report

Iran is deploying advanced surveillance technology like aerial drones and facial recognition to track and penalise women spotted without a headscraf and who fail to comply with the strict dress code, a report published by the United Nations said on Friday.

The report said its findings suggested a growing reliance on digital tools, including a government-backed mobile app “Nazer”, to enforce these rules.

According to the UN report, 10 men have been executed in the context of the 2022 protests and at least 11 men and three women remain at risk of being executed, amid “serious concerns over the adherence to the right to a fair trial, including the use of torture-tainted confessions, and due process violations”. 

Under Article 286 of Iran’s Islamic Penal Code, the report notes, women accused of “corruption on earth” could even face the death penalty, CNN reported.

How does ‘Nazer’ work

The app enables both police and civilians to report women who violate hijab laws. It allows users to submit a vehicle’s license plate number, location, and time of the violation, after which authorities are notified.

The app then flags the vehicle in an online system, alerting police and triggering an automatic text message to the vehicle’s registered owner, warning them of the violation. The message also states that repeated offenses could lead to the vehicle being impounded.

The investigators found that Iran has expanded the app’s scope, integrating it with law enforcement through the Police Command of the Islamic Republic of Iran (FARAJA) website. In September 2024, its coverage was widened to include women travelling in ambulances, taxis, and public transportation, further tightening control over public spaces, a CNN report said.

Drones deployed

The UN report highlights how Iran has escalated its use of artificial intelligence and mass surveillance to suppress dissent, particularly targeting women and girls.

In addition to the app, the Iranian government has begun deploying aerial drones in Tehran and southern regions to monitor hijab compliance. Surveillance cameras equipped with facial recognition software were also installed at the entrance of Amirkabir University in early 2024 to track female students who fail to adhere to the dress code.

UN findings

The UN report also levelled allegations of crimes against humanity against the Iranian government. “In repressing the 2022 nationwide protests, State authorities in Iran committed gross human rights violations, some of which the Mission found to have amounted to crimes against humanity,” said Sara Hossain, Chair of the Fact-Finding Mission, UN.

“We heard many harrowing accounts of harsh physical and psychological torture and a wide range of serious fair trial and due process violations committed against children, including some as young as seven years old.”

“Women human rights defenders and activists have continued to face criminal sanctions, including fines, lengthy prison sentences, and in some cases the death penalty for peaceful activities in support of human rights,” the Independent Mission asserted.

The Mission – which comprises senior human rights experts acting in an independent capacity – noted that these measures “come despite pre-election assurances” by President Masoud Pezeshkian to ease the strict enforcement of mandatory hijab laws.

“Surveillance online was a critical tool for State repression. Instagram accounts, for instance, were shut down and SIM cards confiscated, in particular of human rights defenders, including women human rights defenders,” explained the Independent Mission’s Shaheen Sardar Ali.

The UN report comes against the backdrop of widespread protests against Iran’s hijab laws and broader political and social grievances. Demonstrations erupted in 2022 following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in the custody of the morality police, with the UN estimating that hundreds of people were killed in the ensuing crackdown.