Iranian authorities are concerned that intelligence agencies could use audio files to track Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei’s location, according to an article published on Sunday by the Tehran Municipality-affiliated Iranian daily Al-Mashhari.
In a post on its Telegram channel, Al-Mashhari claimed the fears explained why no audio recordings of Khamenei have been released.
The newspaper outlined five ways a recording could potentially reveal where he was located.
First, every enclosed space has a unique acoustic signature that can provide precise information about the room in which the speaker is located, the newspaper said.
Second, interference from the electrical grid can be used to determine the date and exact time a recording was made, as well as the specific section of the power grid connected to the recording site.
Each microphone and recording device also leaves a unique imprint on an audio file. Mobile phone microphones, for example, weaken low frequencies, while inexpensive components produce distinctive harmonic distortion that can serve as a fingerprint for the device.
Equipment noise, speech patterns could be used to locate Khamenei
Noise from ventilation systems, generators, cooling equipment, or other technical equipment at the site could also help intelligence agencies identify its location.
Finally, the newspaper claimed that the resonance of the speaker’s voice could reveal his breathing patterns, pauses between words, physical condition, heart rate, and stress level.