Have you ever done a “selfie”? I bet you did! It is pretty hard nowadays to find a person who didn’t – even Pope does it! However, this crazy trend is getting so crazy sometimes, that there are a few places in the world where taking your profile pictures is… illegal! Yes, there are at least five places on Earth which can throw you out if they see you taking a selfie, and to make you sure that you avoid such unpleasant surprises, Travel Ticker today is going to introduce to you these destinations. So, leave your selfie sticks at home and better enjoy the view with your own eyes and not throughout your smartphone’s camera!
South Korea
I bet you always thought that South Korea’s North sister is the one with irrational restrictions! However, this very technologically advanced country doesn’t like not exactly selfies, but selfie-sticks which can actually lead to many difficult and even dangerous situations.
The reason behind this restriction is pretty simple – since most of the selfie sticks operate through Bluetooth, South Korea has declared that all selfies sticks must be tested and certified as they are considered as telecommunication devices and can interfere with other devices like medical equipment. Hence, if you are selling a selfie stick which is not certified – you might face a fee or even get in prison! If you just use it –you might get other problems.
Saudi Arabia
The restriction to make selfies in Saudi Arabia appeared after a group of young Muslims did a lot of selfies in the holiest place for all Islam believers – Mecca. Just last year a fatwa was declaring that selfies are a no other thing that a real “form of unacceptable irreligious self-worship.” However, it looks like authorities are confused on this issue in Saudi Arabia, as a huge number of selfies were shared from last year’s pilgrimage without any consequence whatsoever.
New York
Yup, even New York has some bad news for selfie fans. New York State has become the first state to ban it, but don’t get too sad – selfies are banned only if you are taking a photo with a lion, tiger or other big cats. And, yes, as always there is a story behind it!
Although we can’t really recall any recent accidents with these wild animals and self-photographing fellows, many people and New York’s government believe that so-called “tiger selfies” (which are very trending in social medial channels like Tinder or OkCupid) are becoming increasingly popular and dangerous both for people and animals. Therefore, the best way to educate people about the risk of such hobbies is various restrictions!
United Kingdom
Even the United Kingdom is sick and tired of people‘s selfies! However, they do not ban of taking it for tourists and people on streets. It is during national elections when you can’t really take your picture.
While, for instance, the Netherlands have espoused the photographs which are nicknamed “boothies” – selfies done is a voting booth after you vote for someone – other countries are taking a stand and letting voters know that they can be punished or imprisoned for doing that. And yes, the United Kingdom is one of these countries.
According to the British law, it is actually a criminal offense to reveal who you voted for and to disclose the security number on the ballot. So if you are a proud British citizen – don’t snap your selfies in a booth. While if you are just an ordinary tourists – snap as much as you want!
Iran
Although this pretty conservative and religious country is getting a bit more open to other cultures, there are still a lot of rules, which prohibits people from doing one thing or another. And sadly, selfies are on the list of stuff Iranians should avoid doing. More clearly, Iran banned group photos of women posing with male football players as females can use it for political gains or to even sue athletes for harassment!
However, to break this rule in Iran can be pretty hard since women are not allowed into stadiums when men play in general. Even worse, this ban gets even sadder when you think about poor Iranian football players who travel overseas for tournaments, and many female fans are trying to capture some shots with them. They are actually warned that if someone catches them in this action or someone will see these photos – football players are going to get fees or other grave consequences.