Iran’s AI-Powered Surveillance State

<p>On January 31, a court in Iran handed out a combined sentence of 10 years to a couple who <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-64470506" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">danced</a> outside of Azadi Tower in Tehran, Iran. A film of the brief dance went viral on Instagram and Twitter. They’re 21 and 22 years old. The woman was not wearing a hijab.</p><br><p>The long sentence for a viral post is part of a pattern in Iran. In response to protests, the Iranian government is using technology and violence to suppress its people. Iran is a pioneer in the use of new technologies like AI and facial recognition to suppress dissent and enforce the will of the state.</p><br><p>On this episode of Cyber, Mahsa Alimardani—a senior researcher at Article 19 and a doctoral candidate at the University of Oxford—comes on the show to talk about how Iran is pioneering the modern surveillance state.</p><br><p><strong>We’re recording CYBER live on</strong><a href="https://www.twitch.tv/motherboardtv" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong> Twitch</strong></a><strong> and</strong><a href="https://www.youtube.com/motherboard" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong> YouTube</strong></a><strong>. Watch live during the week.</strong><a href="https://www.twitch.tv/motherboardtv/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong> Follow us</strong></a><strong> there to get alerts when we go live. We take questions from the audience and yours might just end up on the show.</strong></p><br><p><strong>Subscribe to</strong><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/cyber/id1441708044?mt=2" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong> CYBER on Apple Podcasts</strong></a><strong> or wherever you listen to your podcasts.</strong></p><br /><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>