By Maryam Manzoori | 2024-12-31

As the Islamic Republic tightens its control over the digital lives of the Iranian people, targeted cyberattacks have exposed segments of its surveillance apparatus, revealing the drastic steps it is taking to maintain its grip.

Since 2022, when a young woman died in the custody of the "religious police" after being arrested for her alleged failure to wear a headscarf, global hacker groups have joined the nationwide protests triggered by her death.

Among them is Ghost Security (GhostSec), believed to be an offshoot of the Anonymous hacker group that emerged around 2015.

With its Operation Iran (OpIran) the group, which had initially focused on exposing "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" (ISIS) propaganda, turned its attention to dismantling the Iranian regime's digital control structures.

In early 2023, GhostSec breached what it described as the regime's "privacy-invading software," FANAP Behnama, revealing its surveillance capabilities.

FANAP began as an Iranian banking system, but had "apparently" expanded into a comprehensive government surveillance platform designed to monitor citizens' daily activities, according to Forbes.

GhostSec revealed what it said was FANAP's extensive facial recognition capabilities in video surveillance, vehicle GPS tracking and numberplate recognition systems.

The group also alleged FANAP's connection to the regime's Single Sign-On (SSO) platform for online authentication.

"This integration compiles intricate aspects of citizens' lives, not only to determine access privileges for services but also to construct a virtual profile for facial recognition," cybersecurity firm Cyberint told Forbes.

"This is not about technology and software, it's about the privacy of the people, civil liberties and a balance of power," GhostSec said in a 2023 statement.

Authoritarian grip

The FANAP breach followed the regime's 2023 announcement that it would use surveillance cameras in public spaces such as metro stations and universities to enforce a law that mandates the wearing of headscarfs.

Violators face fines, vehicle impoundments and other penalties.

Facial recognition technology may also help the regime identify political activists and gatherings.

"As a woman who experienced a normal and free life before the regime came to power, I appreciate any technology that ties its hand," Mehri, a retired teacher in Tehran, told Pishtaz.

The regime lifted its two-year ban on WhatsApp and Google Play on December 24, per the Associated Press, but many remain skeptical.

Mehri noted that regime-connected companies profit from selling virtual private networks (VPNs) -- which many Iranians use to bypass censorship -- in "a cycle of corruption."

"The government seeks to appease public frustration, while continuing to deploy sophisticated surveillance and censorship measures," she said.

"Its track record suggests the partial easing of restrictions is likely a strategy to project a more open image while maintaining its authoritarian grip through other means," she added.