By Sarah El Deeb and Farroush Amir
United Arab Emirates, DUBAI (AP) A synthetic female voice responded when Ellie, a British-Iranian living in the UK, attempted to call her mother in Tehran.
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Alo? Alo? After saying that, the voice inquired in English: Who’s calling? A few seconds went by.
The voice continued in bad English, “I can’t hear you.” Who would you like to talk to? My name is Alyssia. Remember me? I believe I have no idea who you are.
Since Israel commenced airstrikes on Iran a week ago, Ellie, 44, is one of nine Iranians living overseas, including in the United Kingdom and the United States, who have reported hearing weird, robotic voices when they try to call their loved ones in Iran.
In order to protect their families, they told The Associated Press their stories under the stipulation that they be kept nameless or that just their first names or initials be used.
According to five experts whose recordings the AP shared, it might be chatbots, low-tech artificial intelligence, or a pre-recorded message that international callers were routed to.
Although the identity of the perpetrator is still unknown, four of the experts said it was most likely the Iranian government, while the fifth thought it was more likely Israel.
For Iranians living abroad who are having difficulty getting in touch with their loved ones as Israel’s attack targets Iranian military and nuclear facilities bombards Tehran and other cities, the messages are extremely unsettling and unsettling. Iran has launched hundreds of missiles and drones in retaliation, and the government has banned internet access nationwide, claiming this is for national security.
This has made it impossible for regular Iranians to receive information from the outside world and for their family members to communicate with them.
Ellie, whose mother has diabetes, is insulin-deficient, and is stranded on the outskirts of Tehran, said, “I don’t know why they’re doing this.” She can’t tell her mother that she wants her to leave the city.
The Iranian mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
At least one voice speaks Farsi, although the majority speak English. The voice simply keeps repeating its message if the caller tries to speak to it.
After hearing the same message as Ellie, a 30-year-old woman from New York referred to it as psychological warfare.
She remarked, “One of the scariest things I’ve ever experienced is calling your mom and expecting to hear her voice and hearing an AI voice.” It’s palpable in my body.
The messages can also be strange. When a woman in the UK called her mother in desperation, she received a voicemail full of platitudes.
In a recording she gave to the AP, it said, “Thank you for taking the time to listen.” I want to share some ideas with you today and a few things that may be relevant to our everyday life. Unexpected shocks abound in life, and while they can occasionally make us happy, they can also provide challenges.
Not every Iranian living overseas hears the synthetic voice. Some reported that the phone simply keeps ringing when they attempt to call family.
It seems that Iranian phone companies were rerouting the calls to a default message system that prevents calls from being finished, according to Colin Crowell, a former vice president for Twitter’s global policy.
Although there was no concrete proof, Iranian cybersecurity specialist Amir Rashidi, who is based in the United States, concurred and said the recordings seemed to be a government tactic to deter hackers.
He claimed that during the first two days of Israel’s campaign, a large number of Iranian phones received SMS and audio messages asking people to prepare for emergencies. Similar to the mass appeals made by government opponents against Iran during the 1980s conflict with Iraq, their goal was to incite panic.
Rashidi, the director of Miaan, a Texas-based organization that covers digital rights in the Middle East, said the voice messages aimed at calming people fit the Iranian government’s pattern and how it has previously handled emergency situations.
Iran’s Ministry of Information and Communications Technology is ultimately in charge of mobile phones and landlines. However, it has long been thought that the nation’s intelligence agencies are listening in on discussions.
Hacking would be difficult for anyone else. But it may be Israeli, of course. However, internet freedom campaigner and tech entrepreneur Mehdi Yahyanejad stated, “I don’t think they have an incentive to do this.”
Digital rights organization Access Now’s policy and advocacy director in Berlin, Marwa Fatafta, speculated that the Israelis might be using psychological warfare. She claimed that it is consistent with Israel’s historical practice of sending out large amounts of direct messages to Palestinians and Lebanese during campaigns against Hezbollah and in Gaza.
She claimed that the messages seem to be intended to further agitate Iranians who are already nervous overseas.
Both the prime minister’s office and the Israeli military denied requests for comment when reached.
Ellie is among the fortunate few who have managed to get in touch with family members since the blackout. She knows someone with two phones—one with an Iranian SIM card and the other with a Turkish SIM—who lives on the Iran-Turkey border.
Since people within the country can still call one other, he uses the Iranian phone to call Ellie’s mother. He then presses the button to switch to the Turkish phone, where Ellie is on the line. Both of them can talk.
“We told her about the AI voice that answers all of her calls the last time we spoke,” Ellie stated. She was taken aback. Her phone hasn’t rung at all, she claimed.
Although it is illegal, Elon Musk claimed to have enabled his satellite internet service Starlink in Iran, where it is thought that a small number of people have the system. As part of an ongoing spy hunt, authorities are asking the public to report neighbors who have the devices. Others get access to international news through illegal satellite dishes.
M., a British woman, has been attempting to contact her mother-in-law, who is immobile and resides in the northeast of Tehran, which has been under Israeli bombing all week.
Her family in Iran was debating whether or not she should leave the city when she last spoke with them. They lost contact after the blackout was enforced. Since then, she has learned via a family member that the woman had breathing issues and was in the intensive care unit.
She phones and receives the same strange message—a long mantra—as the woman in the U.K.
It recommends to close your eyes and see yourself in a peaceful, joyful location. Imagine yourself strolling in a calm woodland while taking in the sounds of birds chirping and leaf rustling. Or you’re near the coast and enjoying the soothing sound of the waves lapping against the sand.
She claimed that the only emotion the message gave her was one of powerlessness.
El Deeb provided a report from Beirut.
