Iran built the Nazer app for the public to report women's hijab 'violations' by vehicle plate, paired it with roadway cameras, drones and university facial recognition, and in March 2025 a UN Fact-Finding Mission called the resulting enforcement a gross human-rights violation.
Details
Maturity
Established
Promoter
Islamic Republic of Iran Law Enforcement Command (FARAJA) / Ministry of Interior
Period
2023–2025
Keywords
surveillance, morality policing, mobile app, drones, facial recognition
Context
Since 2023, Iranian authorities have used the 'Nazer' mobile application to let vetted members of the public and police report women and girls seen not wearing the hijab while riding in vehicles. Users submit a vehicle's licence plate, location and time; the system cross-references the plate against an official database and automatically sends the registered owner a warning text message.
Activities
In September 2024, the app's scope was expanded to cover monitoring inside ambulances, public transport and taxis. Iran has paired the app with an escalating layer of physical surveillance: roadway cameras to detect uncovered women, aerial drones monitoring hijab compliance in public spaces since April 2024, and facial-recognition software installed at the gates of Tehran's Amirkabir University.
Conclusions
A March 2025 report from the UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran documented the app, drone and camera network in detail and concluded that Iran's hijab-enforcement actions form part of a pattern of gross human rights violations, some amounting to crimes against humanity. There is no public technical disclosure of the system's data handling, retention or accuracy, and no independent appeals or oversight mechanism has been documented.
Implementation
Indicative cost
High (€500k–€5M)
Time to results
Long (> 3 years) — App in use since 2023; scope expanded to ambulances, public transport and taxis in September 2024; drone monitoring since April 2024; UN report March 2025
Staffing & skills
Islamic Republic of Iran Law Enforcement Command (FARAJA) / Ministry of Interior (system operator)
Conditions for success
Integration with the official vehicle-registration database allowed automatic cross-referencing and warning messages
A layered technology stack (app, roadway cameras, drones, university facial recognition) let enforcement scale across multiple physical settings
Common failure modes
No public technical disclosure of data handling, retention or accuracy
No independent appeals or oversight mechanism has been documented
UN Fact-Finding Mission (March 2025) concluded the resulting enforcement forms part of a pattern of gross human rights violations, some amounting to crimes against humanity
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Data sources
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