Technology being used to target dissenters, activists say

• Published date: 26 September 2022
• Publication title: Otago Daily Times (New Zealand)

PROTESTS have broken out across Iran over the death of a woman held by morality police for ‘‘unsuitable attire’’, with activists warning of worse to come as the state deploys facial recognition technology to control its citizens

Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old from Iran’s Kurdistan province, fell into a coma and died following her arrest in Teheran 10 days ago over the country’s strict new hijab policy, sparking demonstrations in numerous areas, the capital included.

Amini has since become a rallying point for Iranians who oppose what they see as rising state surveillance and fear eroding human rights, with women at the centre of the clampdown.

Her death has sparked a daily panic for many ordinary Iranians who fear they, too, could fall foul of the morality police, with women routinely arrested for breaking hijab rules, and plans now under way to extend surveillance with technology.

‘‘Women in Iran live under pressure on a daily basis because of the mandatory hijab law,’’ Shiva Nazar Ahari, a women’s rights activist based in Slovenia, said.

‘‘They are the first targets to be scrutinised by this facial recognition technology — hundreds of women get caught under the hijab law every day. It can be very dangerous.’’

Police deny Amini was mistreated, and said she had health issues. Her family disagree, saying she was in good shape.

But for 29-year-old Tina — a Teheran resident who would only use her first name for fear of official reprisal — a simple trip from home to work now feels like a hazard.

Before leaving home each morning, Tina checks a mirror and adjusts her hair to make sure every single strand is firmly tucked under her head scarf.

This daily ritual has become all the more fraught after authorities said early this month they would use facial recognition technology in public places to spot women who didn’t adhere to the new hijab law, which was signed in mid-August and requires them to cover their hair in public.

‘‘I am terrified every time I leave the house,’’ the IT specialist, who works for a private company in the capital, said.

‘‘These cameras are everywhere and when they catch you, you receive a text message from the police saying that you have been fined or worse,’’ she said by voice message from Teheran.

The government’s plan to use surveillance technology to identify women breaking the strict Islamic dress code will lead to more rights violations, human rights activists say.

Authorities have not revealed a start date, but surveillance experts say...