Kim Kardashian has been accused of many things in her 35 years on earth. Some believe her celebrity marks the downfall of modern civilization. Others say her family has singlehandedly laid waste to the bright young minds of tomorrow. Maybe they're right, but there's one identifier Kardashian has managed to avoid until now: international spy.
According to a recent report by Iran Wire, a news website for local journalists, a branch of the Iranian government has been monitoring Kardashian's social media influence and activity to shield "young people and women" from Western values discordant with the government's brand of Islam.
The reality TV star has apparently been accused of working with Instagram in a complex scheme to undermine the “Islamic Iranian lifestyle,” one selfie at a time.
As one of the most influential people in the world -- Kardashian's collective social media accounts boast a 115 million follower count -- she appeared on the radar of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corp, an organization tasked with monitoring and protecting Iranian culture from outside influence.
A very real threat exists in the country to people, especially women, whose values do not align with the government's religious conservatism. In recent months, the group has shut down the Instagram pages of several Iranian models, as well as warned 170 individuals in the fashion industry about the photo app, 29 of whom are set to be prosecuted, according to Iran Wire.
“Ms. Kim Kardashian is a popular fashion model so Instagram’s CEO tells her, ‘make this native,’” Mostafa Alizadeh, a spokesman for the Organized Cyberspace Crimes Unit, reportedly said. “There is no doubt that financial support is involved as well. We are taking this very seriously.”
According to Alizadeh, Instagram's CEO Kevin Systrom's master plan is to "make fashion modeling native to Iran, and Kim Kardashian is implementing his scheme for him," reports Iran Wire.
Kardashian's response to the report can essentially be summed up by a "New phone. Who dis?" According to People, when asked about the claims, she said, "What? For who? I just landed and came here [from the airport]. I have not heard that one. Thanks for the heads-up."
TFW you're so popular the Iranian government thinks you're a secret agent:
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