Iran has embraced artificial intelligence (AI) as a way to significantly improve its state surveillance networks, allowing the repressive regime to further crack down on perceived offenses.
"The Iran regime is certainly joining rogue leaders of the world in redefining and modernizing their modes of suppression," Lisa Daftari, a Middle East expert and editor-in-chief of The Foreign Desk, told Fox News Digital. "Unfortunately, just as the Iranian people are finding innovative ways of using social media, streaming and VPNs to get their message out, the regime is also taking advantage of technological advances to continue their reign of brutality."
"The regime in Iran is using surveillance technology to identify ‘transgressors,’" Daftari said. "This includes camera systems on the streets to identify women not wearing hijab, facial recognition technology to identify protesters and others, and AI in maximizing suppression in a wholesale manner."
Iran has experienced its most significant protests and anti-government demonstrations in decades following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who allegedly breached the country’s hijab (headscarf) laws.
In recent months, more women have defied the hijab law, which is enforced by Iran’s so-called morality police. Some of these protests have gone viral, such as the case of a group of teen girls who posted a TikTok video of themselves dancing without hijab to a Selena Gomez song. The girls became the target of a police investigation.
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