Binance Rolls Out Accidental Swastika-Like Emoji—On Hitler’s Birthday, No Less
Photo 143981706 © Mikhail Primakov | Dreamstime.com
Some stories just can’t be made up. Binance, the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the world, had Twitter users do a double-take when it debuted an emoji resembling a swastika.
The symbol surfaced in the form of a ‘hashflag’, an emoji that appears next to a relevant hashtag. Soon after announcing the icon on the social network, though, users expressed their distaste for the familiar design.
The new Binance emoji is a literal swastika pic.twitter.com/lCOuWuPnyF
— mann0000.eth 🦇🔊 (@nftshare) April 20, 2022
It didn’t help that 20 April, the date that the emoji emerged, was the 133rd birthday of German dictator Adolf Hitler.
perfect day to drop the new swastika emoji, #binance !! pic.twitter.com/ex0G1Tfo1O
— spirits (@0xSpirits) April 20, 2022
“Out of 10, I give the new Binance logo a nein,” tweeted one crypto trader.
Fortune notes, though, that the meaning of the swastika greatly varies across cultures. In the Western world, it could be associated with Nazism, but Asian religions like Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism look up to it as a symbol of prosperity and good luck.
Binance was founded in Hong Kong, where sensitivities with the mark may not be as apparent.
Following criticism, the company promptly took down the emoji and replaced it with a more rounded version.
“That was obviously really embarrassing,” tweeted Binance. “We’re not sure how that emoji got through several layers of review without anyone noticing, but we immediately flagged the issue, pulled it down, and the new emoji design is being rolled out as we speak.”
"wE'rE nOt sUrE hOw ThAt EmOjI GoT tHrOuGh SeVeRaL lAyErS oF rEvIeW wItHoUt AnYoNe NoTiCiNg" pic.twitter.com/TA9z80DGyW
— kev (@bitkevcoin) April 20, 2022
