Key Findings
- In complete secrecy, Iranian authorities bought FindFace, a Russian facial recognition software, in 2019, as confirmed by contracts obtained by Forbidden Stories and its partners.
- FindFace can identify faces in public spaces in a matter of seconds and run them through databases maintained by the regime’s security services.
- The Iranian security apparatus is attempting to conceal this acquisition with shell companies.
- Several security agencies are involved, including the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps and the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence.
As they bomb Iran, Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu are calling on its people to rise up against the dictatorial regime, which is shaken but still standing. Iranian authorities have a sophisticated weapon for monitoring the population: a powerful Russian facial recognition software — acquired in complete secrecy. Thanks to a data leak from Russian and Iranian companies, Forbidden Stories and its partners reveal the workings of this mass surveillance system.
They’re working their way towards being as bad as we are! and they aren’t as good at marketing to try to convince people it’s to find lost dogs.