A groundbreaking investigation conducted by the international network Forbidden Stories in collaboration with Le Monde has uncovered that an Iranian company acquired and resold the Russian facial recognition system FindFace to organizations directly associated with the Tehran regime. This software, developed by the Russian firm NtechLab, has been under Western sanctions and has reportedly been integrated into the Islamic Republic's mass surveillance arsenal since 2020. The research underscores the alarming trend of authoritarian regimes utilizing advanced technology to bolster their control over populations.

In recent events, large crowds of citizens took to the streets in Tehran and other major cities to celebrate the death of the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. While state cameras overlooked the scenes, security cameras captured the gatherings, illustrating the regime's reliance on surveillance technology to monitor dissent. The Iranian government, facing strategic losses from American and Israeli strikes, has intensified its mechanisms of surveillance and repression to maintain control over the population.

Until recently, there were only indications that authorities were using facial recognition technologies. The new findings document the extent to which these systems have been acquired and deployed within Iran, raising significant concerns about privacy violations and the effectiveness of international sanctions intended to curb such technology transfers. This development highlights a critical intersection of technology and governance in authoritarian contexts, where surveillance capabilities can exacerbate human rights abuses and suppress dissenting voices in society.