Eyes of Iran: How the regime secretly monitors its citizens

FindFac e w as developed by the Russian company Ntechlab, founded in 2015. Through the holding company Rostec, Ntechlab sits at the heart of Russia’s military-industrial and technological apparatus. Rostec “reports to the Ministry of Defense and is headed by Mr. Chemesov, a close associate of Vladimir Putin,” according to Julien Nocetti, a researcher at the Center for Analysis, Forecasting, and Strategy at the French Ministry for Foreign Affairs, and specialist in Russia and digital technology. NtechLab has become a veritable “national technology laboratory” since the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, according to Nocetti. After the large-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Rostec became directly attached to the presidential administration. Ntechlab was sanctioned by the EU in July 2023 for “serious human rights violations in Russia” and blacklisted by the US in December 2024 for actions “contrary to the national security or foreign policy interests of the United States.” But the company continues to promote its products, such as FindFace, which is notably used to track independent journalists and supporters of Alexei Navalny, Putin's former main opponent. In July 2022, Business Insider revealed that NtechLab had more than 1,100 clients in more than 60 countries, including major Western companies and “government agencies.” Today, the company reports it has sold FindFace and other products to “400 major customers” in 34 different countries. But the Islamic Republic of Iran is missing from the company’s website.