** Title: under air surveillance: technology as a repression tool in Iran **
The emergence of surveillance technologies in authoritarian governance contexts represents not only a turning point in the way power is exercised, but also an alarming development of human rights violations. The latest United Nations report on Iran highlights the growing use of drones, facial recognition systems and citizen reporting applications to strengthen hijab laws deemed oppressive. At first glance, this integration of technology into repression may seem anachronistic in a society plagued by deep aspirations of freedom and equality. However, a further exploration reveals a complex reality that deserves to be analyzed from several angles.
### Dispressing repression?
Far from conceiving these measures as progress, they should be seen as deliberate strategies on the part of a government aware of its internal instability. The massive demonstrations which followed the death of Mahsa Amini in September 2022, following his arrest by the police of manners, highlighted a deep fracture between the population and the directives imposed by the regime. By integrating sophisticated technologies, the Iranian government strives to create a social simulacrum while diverting the attention of broader political issues such as democracy and civil rights.
This raises a crucial question: do these technological tools actually lead to compliance or do they rather fuel underground resistance? Studies on human behavior in regulations reveal that surveillance systems can cause submission not only, but also increased dispute, as individuals become aware of oppression.
### A surveillance start-up
The development of the “Nazer” application could be perceived as a warning sign of a future where technology is not only used to monitor, but also marketed as part of new “surveillance start-ups”. By allowing citizens to point out behaviors deemed inappropriate, the Iranian regime potentially transforms societal dynamics into a form of toxic neighborhood under surveillance, where everyone becomes both responsible and accomplice of the violations of the rights of others.
This logic has global resonances. Experiences in other authoritarian countries show that similar technologies help to intensify mistrust between citizens, thus strengthening the power of the state over society. In China for example, the use of digital surveillance and facial recognition has made it possible to control dissidents while claiming to promote public order.
### A vision of the future: technology resistance
However, everything is not dark. The emergence of technological tools, although often used for repression purposes, could also inspire new forms of resistance. The history of technology is paradoxical; It has always been a double element. On the one hand, it allows surveillance and repression, and on the other, it can serve as a catalyst for organization and activism. Underground initiatives, encrypted communication networks and women’s movements using anonymous platforms to organize testify to an insurrection potential.
### The Gulf of Reputation
Internationally, Iran’s repressive approach with regard to women’s rights and civil freedoms throws a shadow on its diplomatic relations. At a time when the country is trying to redefine on the world scene, these picturesque actions seriously compromise its image. We can see a striking dichotomy between Iran’s ambitions to want to assert itself as a regional power and the persistence of internal policies which arouse condemnation and isolation.
### Conclusion: a changing paradigm
It is imperative that the world is not content to define Iran only by the prism of repression. The complexity of Iranian society, between aspirations of freedom and technological control, deserves an in -depth study. While the Iranian government deploys these technologies to muzzle its citizens, it is crucial to remember that repression, by definition, is the antithesis of social progress. The developments in progress deserve to be observed not only in the context of repression but also as an opportunity for a new form of activism informed by available technologies. The future of Iran may not only reside in the meanders of its technological authoritarianism, but also in the unexpected resilience of those who dare to dream of an alternative reality.