‘OK’ emoji turns into hate symbol and Instagram will remove photos with the sign

Instagram will now delete photos of users who reproduce the «OK» sign with their hands. As of this Thursday (10), the app’s denunciation menu lists among the removal criteria «gestures of the white supremacy movement». The «OK» gesture was appropriated by the American white movement to indicate «white power» on the networks, and the popularization of the symbol put him on the list of hate symbols of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL, in English), responsible United States organization. for monitoring hate crimes.

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In response, Instagram has adopted new rules to combat hate speech in the online environment with the post reporting tool, which can result in the exclusion of offensive content and the banning of users from the social network. As the «OK» sign has a different original meaning, ADL recommends «taking special care not to jump to conclusions about the intention of someone who used the gesture», as in some cases it may have been used for the purpose of demonstrate approval or indicate that everything is fine.

1 of 2 Photos with ‘OK’ sign will be removed from Instagram – Photo: Disclosure / Emojipedia

Photos with ‘OK’ sign will be removed from Instagram – Photo: Disclosure / Emojipedia

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In 2017, some users of the 4Chan forum maliciously disclosed that the “OK” sign was a symbol of white supremacist power. According to the group, the gesture means that the three straight fingers form the letter «W» (from white, white in Portuguese), while the closed thumb and forefinger refer to the letter «P» (power, which translates as power). The fake news became popular among the extreme right, and the sign came to be used in insults and offensive messages in the online environment.

2 of 2 ‘OK’ emoji joins list of hate symbols – Photo: Disclosure / Emojipedia

‘OK’ emoji joins list of hate symbols – Photo: Disclosure / Emojipedia

The white supremacy symbol has become popular on the Internet in recent months. In March, the person responsible for the massacre of 51 people in Christchurch, New Zealand, made the gesture «OK» when presented to the court. Two months later, Facebook banned a Donald Trump voter for 30 days for making the «OK» hand signal on a photo.

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