#5 Thinking of posting a selfie on Instagram? Get ready for jail!
We all know that selfies can be a tad bit irritating at times. Not to mention that selfies have completely ruined the potential a camera can truly capture. But then again, sometimes its right...sometimes its not.
What will surprise you is that some countries are actually punishing those who post selfies on Instagram! In Iran, there's actually a sort of operation called the Operation Spider 2 which identifies and target women who post selfies on Instagram.
#4 170 Models Punished
So far the operation has tracked down 170 people on Instagram which comprise of 58 models, 51 fashion salon managers and designers, 59 photographers and make-up artists and two institutions.
Instagram is the most popular site in Iran since other social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and Youtube are all banned. This current clampdown on those posting selfies on Instagram has the Federal Government focusing on all individuals.
#3 Why?
The Iranian government is focusing exclusively on the women of Iran who are featured in such photos on the grounds that they are promoting 'promoting western values.'
Photos such as those where the woman is not covering her head are considered a violation. Covering the women's head with a hijab has been compulsory since the Islamic revolution in 1979, in Iran.
See what the officials say...
#2 Purpose
"The purpose of Operation Spider 2, which was launched two years ago, is to monitor the use of social media by the Western imperialist powers to change the Iranian-Islamic lifestyle of our nation. During our monitoring, we noticed that more than 20 percent of the social media used by our youth is directed at modeling business via Instagram."
#1 Similar Crackdown
This act has earned the wrath of the fashion industry and the models alike. A similar crackdown was seen in May 2014 when men and women were arrested after a video of them dancing to Pharrell Williams' Happy song was leaked online. Each of them received 6 months in prison and received 91 lashes individually.
