“Nazer 1”: A Tool for Hijab Enforcers
As this summer ended, there was much talk on social media about an app named “Nazer”. Owned by FARAJA (Law Enforcement Command of the Islamic Republic of Iran), this software helps authorised “Hijab-baans” (Hijab Enforcers) report people not following the government’s dress and hijab rules.
The main questions were: Who uses this app? How does it work? And most importantly, can false reports disrupt it?
The “Nazer” system includes several software applications. “Nazer 1” lets Hijab Enforcers report car number plates. “Nazer 2” is for reports about public facilities and locations. “Nazer 3” focuses on hijab violations in public recreational areas, and “Nazer 4” deals with online and social media-related issues.
Are Hijab Enforcers Spontaneous or Officially Approved?
This was a big debate this autumn. Evidence suggested that Hijab Enforcers operated in an organised way, especially in metro stations. However, no government body officially accepted responsibility for their presence in Tehran’s metro.
Both Tehran’s mayor and the Interior Minister described the Hijab Enforcers’ metro activities as “spontaneous and public”. They claimed no official permission was given for these activities. Despite this, a confidential document leaked by Etemad newspaper revealed that the Ministry of the Interior had instructed some security agencies to monitor metro entrances and take pictures of “unveiled” individuals.
Besides these confirmations and denials, looking at the “Nazer 1” application differently might prove the organised nature of Hijab Enforcers.
The Nazer Plan’s History
In April 2019, talk began about the “Nazer” Plan. Some citizens received a message stating they had committed an “unveiling crime” in their vehicle and must visit their local Moral Security Police for this.
People started complaining about wrongly received messages. The hijab level, which the plan designers claimed was needed to “strengthen family foundations”, reportedly caused family problems. The Judiciary’s spokesperson acknowledged this at the time.
When the plan restarted in 2020, officials said they would change their approach to avoid revengeful actions and loss of public trust. General Hassan Rahimi, then head of Tehran’s Police Force, said many police officers would identify citizens without proper Islamic hijab.
Initially, it seemed a task for various police staff, but evidence now shows that after the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement, this expanded to include individuals beyond the police.
The Nazer plan’s Expansion to Hijab Enforcers
The first evidence is a directive from The Headquarters for Enjoining the Good and Forbidding the Evil, issued in late February 2023 to some agencies and organisations. It asked interested employees to use Nazer software in coordination with FARAJA to join the Nazer plan.
Anyone can download this app from the police website (IP-based geo-restriction for foreign users), but activation requires police coordination.
This directive suggests each “spontaneous public force” must seek cooperation from FARAJA for reporting. This implies a need for official permission. The registration process in “Nazer 1” confirms this.
Registering in the Nazer 1 System
After downloading the app and allowing various permissions like call management and location tracking, Hijab Enforcers enter their mobile number to get an activation code.
If the police (owners of the Nazer system) haven’t approved the user’s mobile number through agencies like The Headquarters for Enjoining the Good and Forbidding the Evil or Basij, accessing the app’s login panel is impossible.
Conversations within authorized Iranian messenger groups, dedicated to promoting hijab, corroborate this process, indicating that the reporting privilege is limited to designated individuals.
Investigations into earlier versions of “Nazer 1” show the app functions similarly to the handheld devices traffic police use for electronic traffic fines.
Nazer 1: An Application or Malware?
Analysing this app’s file raised concerns about its safety. VirusTotal, a free website using 70 different antivirus tools, found some antivirus programs marking this app’s installation file (APK) as dangerous. This means that even users of this app risk their data’s security.
With all this in mind, it’s clear that messages about “unveiling in vehicles” are based on reports from Hijab Guardians using the “Nazer” online system. Using this app is only possible with identity and phone number verification by FARAJA. Thus, disrupting this app with fake reports by unverified users is impossible.
P.S. This report was originally written by me for BBC Persian. The above is its translation into English.