The Islamic Republic of Iran is rolling out facial recognition technology on some of its university campuses, per reports.
As access to the biometric technology becomes more widespread, the Islamic theocracy is using it to keep track of citizens.
University students attend a protest inside Tehran University while anti-riot Iranian police prevent them to join other protestors, in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Dec. 30, 2017. A wave of spontaneous protests over Iran’s weak economy swept into Tehran on Saturday, with college students and others chanting against the government just hours after hard-liners held their own rally in support of the Islamic Republic’s clerical establishment. (AP Photo)
Via Reclaim The Net:
Student groups from across the nation have raised concerns about these invasive measures. A striking video from the United Students Telegram, released October 1, captures school officials from Shiraz University mandating students to provide facial scans to access food from self-service amenities.
While the realm of academia should be an arena for free thought and open dialogue, the invasive measures suggest otherwise. For example, new students at Isfahan University must submit to face scans simply to receive their student cards. While officials try to justify this as a precaution against lost or stolen cards, the timeline is suspect. This policy was implemented swiftly after the installation of new surveillance cameras throughout many academic institutions.
Facial recognition technology is becoming a key facet of authoritarian regimes, most notably China, where the technology has become ubiquitous. In 2021, Chinese officials called for a “national database” of face and fingerprint information.
During the mass protests against Chinese rule in Hong Kong in 2019, protesters used laser pointers to interfere with Chinese facial recognition cameras. Masking was also common during the protests, which saw facial recognition technology used to track and identify protest participants.
The technology has started to make its way into the west, too. The British police force is currently pushing for widespread adoption of the technology, while in the U.S., facial recognition technology is also in wide use by police departments.
Allum Bokhari is the senior technology correspondent at Breitbart News. He is the author of #DELETED: Big Tech’s Battle to Erase the Trump Movement and Steal The Election. Follow him on Twitter @AllumBokhari.