"Made in China" Censorship: How Beijing’s Tech Empowered Tehran to Shutdown the Internet and Track Faces

A report by the British NGO "Article 19" has exposed the deep technological ties between Iran and China, revealing that Tehran’s ability to disconnect its 93 million citizens from the global internet relies heavily on Chinese infrastructure. Since 2010, the two nations have collaborated on a "National Internet" project, utilizing equipment from giants like Huawei and ZTE for advanced filtering, and Tiandy for facial recognition systems supplied to the Revolutionary Guard.

The report highlights that Iran has swapped global GPS for China’s Beidou navigation system, further cementing its "Cyber Sovereignty." Experts warn that smaller Chinese firms are "weaponizing" commercially available tech to create a sophisticated surveillance net that was pivotal in crushing the January protests. This partnership has transformed Iran's digital landscape into a controlled environment where the state exercises absolute authority over information flow.