{"id":4579,"date":"2023-12-14T10:54:08","date_gmt":"2023-12-14T10:54:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/filter.watch\/en\/?p=4579"},"modified":"2023-12-14T11:00:46","modified_gmt":"2023-12-14T11:00:46","slug":"irans-peoples-lifestyle-assessment-system-a-new-surveillance-threat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filter.watch\/english\/2023\/12\/14\/irans-peoples-lifestyle-assessment-system-a-new-surveillance-threat\/","title":{"rendered":"Iran\u2019s \u201cPeople\u2019s Lifestyle Assessment System\u201d: A New Surveillance Threat"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Iranian government\u2019s \u201cSeventh Development Plan\u201d bill, which was passed in the past month, is one of the most significant and influential laws affecting Iran\u2019s digital realm. It contains a key section called the \u201cLifestyle Assessment System\u201d, a far-reaching initiative that aims to monitor and control the activities and behaviors of Iranian users. This system is based on various technologies and policies that Iran has been pursuing for years, such as <\/span>facial recognition<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>e-government services<\/span><\/a>, and <\/span>developing<\/span><\/a> surveillance tools under the prosecutor's office to spy on Iranian citizens. The bill was approved between 9th Shahrivar to 9th Mehr 1402 (August 31, 2023 to September 30, 2023), and it marks a major step by the Iranian government towards becoming a surveillance state.<\/span>
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\n<\/span>The Iranian government\u2019s efforts to increase control over internet access have also seen it localize internet infrastructure, including applications, cloud services, web hosting, and national <\/span>open-source repositories<\/span><\/a>. Moreover, they have integrated user information from different sectors, such as healthcare, housing, civil registration, and tracking imported products. Simultaneously, the government is pursuing other measures that will severely impact privacy, such as the <\/span>SIAM<\/span><\/a> system, the \u201c<\/span>hijab and chastity<\/span><\/a>\u201d bill, <\/span>tiered<\/span><\/a> internet access, and hardware equipment <\/span>tracking<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Overall, the Iranian government\u2019s data collection efforts are advancing rapidly without any legal protection for citizens' privacy, giving the government, judicial, and security institutions the power to misuse the data in any way they want. This report argues that through the new \u201cPeople\u2019s Lifestyle Assessment System,\u201d Iran's government is moving towards becoming a surveillance state that violates the privacy of Iranian citizens extensively and monitors every aspect of their lives.<\/span><\/p>\n

This system aims to gather all kinds of data on citizens' daily lives by various sources, such as government agencies (e.g., the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, the Statistical Center, and the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution) and private entities (e.g., online taxi services, payment service providers, navigation apps, and any other apps that gather user data).<\/span><\/p>\n

The data is intended to be used for continuous surveillance, tracking, measuring, and future studies on topics such as \u201cpublic culture indicators, people's lifestyle, media reach, and the state of the country's communications,\u201d as well as for \u201cconstant observation, monitoring, and measurement of public culture indicators, levels of religiosity, spirituality, ethics, and people's lifestyle with an Iranian-Islamic approach, and the constant assessment of values, tendencies, and cultural and social institutions in Iranian society.\u201d These terms are vague and undefined, and they do not specify what kind of data will be collected, how, and by what means. Moreover, it is unclear how non-quantitative issues such as spirituality and religiosity can be measured at all.<\/span><\/p>\n

Importantly, the Seventh Development Plan <\/span>bill<\/span><\/a> does not clarify the structure of the data holders and whether they include private companies. These are the main issues that critics of this proposed \u201cLifestyle System\u201d in the parliament and legal experts have raised. They argue that this system is a tool for spying on people's everyday lives.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Legal Problem of the \u201cLifestyle System\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n

The <\/span>Digiato<\/span><\/i> website <\/span>reported<\/span><\/a> on November 7, 2023, that the Lifestyle System was approved with a clause that requires compliance with Article 25 of the <\/span>Constitution<\/span><\/a>. This clause was added on October 21, 2023, by parliamentarians in Article 75 of the <\/span>Seventh Development Plan bill<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Of note, Article 25 of the <\/span>Constitution<\/span><\/a> of the Islamic Republic bans any form of eavesdropping and spying, unless authorized by the law.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, experts who have examined this bill say that the term \u201cauthorized by the law\u201d is vague and ambiguous, and that a judge cannot issue a legal authorization for the whole population.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ali Akbar Mousavi Khoeini, a former parliament representative and the Vice Chairman of the Communications Commission, told Filterban that this clause does not specify a particular person, and that this gives judges more room to justify their decisions. He added that this increases the risk of widespread abuse of the legal authorization and the violation of citizens' privacy.<\/span><\/p>\n

Moreover, the clause is unclear about the definition of \u201cdatabase\u201d and whether it encompasses private companies. It also lacks clarity on how data, especially qualitative data like spirituality levels, will be collected and assessed. These ambiguities could lead to potential misuse of the law.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ali Akbar Mousavi Khoeini expressed concerns in this regard: \u201cGeneral indicators such as public culture, media authority, and the state of national communications, which are explicitly mentioned in this clause, make [law] abuse possible, and these very terms leave room for interpretation.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Government Access to Citizens' Data: Scope and Concerns<\/b><\/p>\n

The Iranian government has long sought access to citizens' data, leading to disputes with the private sector over access to citizens\u2019 data. Abolhassan Firouzabadi, former Secretary of the Supreme Council of Cyberspace, <\/span>suggested<\/span><\/a> on May 24, 2022, that governmental access to such data in the \u201cNational Data Exchange Center\u201d can be achieved through \u201ceconomic interaction\u201d between private businesses and the government.<\/span><\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the Seventh Development Law mandates that data from \u201cdatabases\u201d be continuously accessible to its proposed Lifestyle System. Yet, it fails to clarify which entities, beyond government entities, are included in these databases. This ambiguity grants legislators broad access to citizens' data through the National Information Network (the domestic intranet being established by the Iranian government).<\/span><\/p>\n

Currently, the government gathers data from over 40 databases, including civil registration, property records, law enforcement, social security, the central bank, and tax affairs, compiling it in the <\/span>Iranian Welfare Database<\/span><\/a>. This data is used for the \u201cmeans test\u201d to determine economic strata and allocate government subsidies.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Seventh Development Plan\u2019s Lifestyle Assessment System, however, proposes more extensive monitoring of Iranians' lives, extending beyond economic factors. The table below outlines the government organizations tasked with data collection under this proposed system. It is important to note that the term \u201cprivate databases\u201d remains undefined, leaving uncertain which organizations or data are included.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Legal Clause<\/b><\/td>\nApparent Name of the Project<\/b><\/td>\nCollected Data<\/b><\/td>\nOrganization Responsible or Involved in the Project<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Subsection 5, Clause 'Z', Article 48<\/span><\/td>\nCreation and issuance of a unique postal identifier for use in the national goods distribution platform<\/span><\/td>\nPostal information of individuals and specifications of goods sent through the postal network<\/span><\/td>\nNational Post Company<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Part 5 of Clause 'D' of Article 48<\/span><\/td>\nEstablishment of a National Platform for Distribution of Goods and Products<\/span><\/td>\nInformation related to the producers of industrial, agricultural products, and e-commerce goods<\/span><\/td>\nMinistry of Communications - Postal Operators and Stakeholders in the Goods Transportation Sector<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Clauses 'A' and 'B' of Article 108<\/span><\/td>\nNational Database of Cadastral Documents and Properties of the Country<\/span><\/td>\nInformation on property ownership documents (excluding motor vehicles).<\/span><\/td>\nJudiciary<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Clauses 'G' and 'S' of Article 85<\/span><\/td>\nPrevention of Crime Using SIM Cards<\/span><\/td>\nReceiving information about deceased SIM card owners, dissolved or closed legal entities, non-Iranian nationals who have left the country with temporary residence, and prisoners from mobile operators (or organizations holding the aforementioned information)<\/span><\/td>\nMinistry of Communications<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Clause 'A' of Article 115<\/span><\/td>\nEstablishment of an Electronic System for Providing Legal Medical Services<\/span><\/td>\nReceiving medical information of individuals from the Ministry of Health, insurance organizations, law enforcement agencies, and the judiciary + Sending medical information of examinations and inquiries of legal medicine<\/span><\/td>\nLegal Medicine Organization<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Clause 'A' of Article 114<\/span><\/td>\nImprovement of the Comprehensive System for Properties and Documents<\/span><\/td>\nAll information related to the properties of the country and their legal status should be recorded<\/span><\/td>\nOrganization for Registration of Deeds and Properties<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Subsection '8-0' of the Addendum to Article 153<\/span><\/td>\nElectronic System for Vehicle License Plate Registration<\/span><\/td>\nRegistration of vehicles equipped with an Iranian-made localizer should be conducted. (According to a report by Borna News Agency quoting Asghar Jahangir, Deputy of the Judiciary, on December 27, 2023, this localizer or position finder, designed by the Ministry of Defence, is intended to be installed on domestic vehicles<\/span><\/td>\nLaw Enforcement Command (Police Force) and Ministry of Communications<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Addendum 3 of Article 128<\/span><\/td>\nUpdating information and faster access to data for security purposes<\/span><\/td>\nReceiving information from smart surveillance and monitoring systems (cameras) installed in main and secondary urban streets and intercity highways<\/span><\/td>\nLaw Enforcement Command (Police Force)<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Note 2 of Article 69<\/span><\/td>\nUpdating the Iranian Electronic Health Record System<\/span><\/td>\nMedical information of all Iranian and non-Iranian individuals who receive services in Iran from natural persons (medical staff) and legal entities (hospitals and clinics)<\/span><\/td>\nMinistry of Health<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Parliamentary Debate on the Lifestyle System: Key Points of Proponents and Opponents<\/b><\/p>\n

Supporters of the \u201cLifestyle System\u201d include MPs Mohsen Zanganeh, Ahmad Rastineh, and Seyed Naser Mousavi Largani. According to a report by the Mizan News Agency, in the public session of the parliament on November 6, 2023, all three defended the \u201cresearch\u201d aspect of the Lifestyle Assessment System. Ahmad Rastineh stated that in this system, \u201cbig data\u201d is analyzed, not the personal data of people. Later, Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf also <\/span>said<\/span><\/a> that personal data access requires a judicial warrant.<\/span>
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\n<\/span>Meanwhile, Jalal Rashidi Koochi and Gholamreza Nouri Qazlje are among the members of parliament who have been critical of the Lifestyle Assessment system. Nouri Qazlje told the website Digiato on November 8, 2023 that, according to bill\u2019s text, anyone who has any data about the population is obliged to give it to the government, whether it is a government agency or a private entity. Jalal Rashidi Koochi, who is representative of Marvdasht and Pasargad, criticized the ambiguity of the terms in this bill on July 20, 2023 in an interview with ILNA News Agency. He stated that it is unclear how the \"spiritual level\" of the people is supposed to be measured in this system.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Iranian government\u2019s \u201cSeventh Development Plan\u201d bill, which was passed in the past month, is one of the most significant and influential laws affecting Iran\u2019s digital realm. It contains a key section called the \u201cLifestyle Assessment System\u201d, a far-reaching initiative that aims to monitor and control the activities and behaviors of Iranian users. This systemContinue reading \"Iran\u2019s \u201cPeople\u2019s Lifestyle Assessment System\u201d: A New Surveillance Threat\"<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":4580,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[141,57,82,99,85,70,75,58,79,106],"class_list":["post-4579","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-investigations","tag-facial-recognition","tag-filterwatch","tag-freedom-of-expression","tag-information-controls","tag-infrastructure","tag-irans-cyber-police","tag-localisation","tag-national-information-network","tag-policy","tag-suppression","entry"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t