Internet giants Facebook, Google, Apple and Microsoft have joined hands to stop the rifle emoji from the list of images available for the users on their smartphones. The new emoji was supposed to be added to the list of the keyboard line-up in an update this month.
Questions were raised by the Unicode Consortium that is responsible for regulating the emojis. They voted in favour of removing it, calling it ‘bizzare’ and ‘unusual’. Apple accepted the decision and Google, Facebook and Microsoft followed with their support. Such emojis have created a few problems earlier. Earlier this year it was noticed that a man in France was sentenced to three years of imprisonment for sending his ex-girlfriend a death threat with a pistol emoji.
The pistol emoji does not have any sporting connection but rifle emoji was expected to represent shooting as a sport, including hunting and marksmanship. However, this is not the first time the US based companies have blocked new emojis from their keyboard.
Apple does not carry gun and knife emojis on its macOS keyboard while Microsoft has earlier included a middle finger while other companied have refrained. The good news is that the Unicode 9.0 will have 72 new emojis that will include new animal, foods, face palm, fingers crossed, shrug and handshake emojis.
Photo Credits: telegraph
