Examining the Legal Gap Regarding the Use of Covert Imaging Devices in Airport Environments and the Necessity of Criminalization in Iranian Law with a Jurisprudential Approach

Abstract

The advancement of modern technologies and the proliferation of imaging devices embedded in everyday objects such as glasses, pens, watches, and similar equipment have generated new challenges in the domains of privacy protection and public security. Airport environments, due to their specific security characteristics, the extensive presence of citizens, and the deployment of protective systems, are considered highly sensitive spaces in which the use of covert imaging devices may lead to consequences such as the disclosure of security-related information, violation of passengers’ privacy, and even the identification of security personnel. Despite the significance of this issue, an examination of the Iranian legal system indicates the absence of specific regulations governing the possession or use of objects equipped with hidden cameras in airport environments, and existing laws primarily address the criminal outcomes rather than criminalizing preparatory conduct. The present study, employing a descriptive–analytical method, examines the existing regulations and analyzes the legal gap in this field, while also elucidating the necessity of adopting a preventive criminal policy and enacting specific criminalization measures in this regard. The findings of the study demonstrate that criminalizing the possession and use of covert imaging devices in airport environments can play an effective role in preventing security threats and safeguarding privacy.