Instant messaging service application WhatsApp was sent a legal notice on Tuesday to remove the “obscene gesture”, the middle finger emoji. The notice was sent by a New Delhi-based lawyer Gurmeet Singh.
“As per the Indian Penal Code Sections 354 and 509, it is an offence to show obscene, lewd, offensive gestures to females. Use of a lewd, offensive, obscene gesture by anyone is hereby illegal also as aforesaid,” Singh said in the notice, NDTV reported. “As per section 6 of the Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act, 1994 showing of the middle finger is also an offence in Ireland.”
Singh has asked the California-based company to remove the emoji within 15 days.
“By offering to use middle finger emoji in your app, you (WhatsApp) are directly abetting the use of offensive, lewd, obscene gesture,” the notice said, adding “… showing the middle finger is not only offensive but a highly belligerent, invasive, obscene, lewd gesture.”
WhatsApp had introduced the emoji in 2015 and it is present in emoji options within the app. “A middle finger emoji, used in some western cultures as a rude or insulting gesture. The back of the hand is shown with the middle finger raised,” is how emojipedia.org describes the symbol on its website.
Earlier this month, the company announced that it will stop its application on some smartphones after December 31. These phones include Blackberry OS, Blackberry 10 and Windows Phone 8.0. Reportedly, WhatsApp said that these platforms lack the necessary features to run the application properly.
“These platforms don’t offer the kind of capabilities we need to expand our app’s features in the future. If you use one of these affected mobile devices, we recommend upgrading to a newer OS version, or to a newer Android running OS 4.0+, iPhone running iOS7+, or Windows Phone 8.1+ so that you can continue using WhatsApp,” the company said.
2 Comments
Gurmeet Singh who is an advocate is already very famous.. i have googled him. he also curbed the menace of Blue Whale Game. while everyone was sleeping or was buzy in their daily works while many children started committing suicide , it was gurmeet singh advocate who filed a petition in the Honble High Court of delhi and after which google and yahoo and facebook and Commissioner of delhi police were called by the court and were directed to remove the game immediately. so lets stop criticizing him . whether right or wrong that the court will decide if the whatsapp doesnot remove the offensive middle finger emoji.. i personally find the middle finger emoji offensive.. it should be removed.. i wish Gurmeet Singh Sir all the best in his life and career. may god bless Him
very good work Gurmeet Singh Sir. keep it up. i love your work and your efforts. keep growing and keep fighting.. i am your biggest fan … love your work and your zeal to work :)
Your Biggest Fan Gurmeet Singh Sir,
Shivani Sharma