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That seemingly harmless emoji could potentially lead to serious consequences. Over the past few years, there has been a noticeable rise in legal issues tied to emoji use. This is because emojis often replace actual objects or actions. For example, sending a gun emoji to someone could be seen as making a threat of violence.
Others have faced significant fines or dealt with unnecessary complications after using emojis, which were thought to be harmless, to express their feelings or reactions.
10. An Israeli Couple Was Penalized for Accidentally Finalizing a Deal With Emojis
In 2017, an Israeli couple learned the hard way that emojis are no joke when they were slapped with a $2,200 fine for using them in a business transaction. The trouble began for Rosen and Nir Haim Saharoff when they started negotiations with Yaniv Dahan regarding an apartment he was renting out.
Dahan and the couple exchanged multiple messages regarding the apartment. Throughout the conversation, the couple used several cheerful emojis, leading Dahan to believe they had decided to rent the apartment. In fact, he even took the listing offline after their exchange.
However, the couple suddenly stopped responding to his messages. Dahan took the matter to court, where he successfully argued that the emojis used in their conversation had led him to believe they were committed to the property.
The couple had sent emojis such as a dancing woman, two people dancing, a chipmunk, a peace sign, a smiling face, and a champagne bottle. The Saharoffs insisted that they backed out of the agreement because they didn't like the apartment. However, the judge disagreed, stating that the use of emojis created an overwhelming sense of positivity. As a result, he ordered the couple to pay $2,200 to Dahan.
9. Teen Arrested for Aiming a Gun Emoji at a Police Emoji
In 2015, a teenager was arrested after sending three gun emojis to a police officer. While the question of how he managed to aim three guns with only two hands might come to mind, the arrest only became controversial because the guns and police officer were represented by emojis.
The teen posted several more images showing him with guns, drugs, and making gang gestures. After receiving a tip about his threatening posts, the NYPD arrested him. Aristy faced charges of illegal weapon and drug possession, as well as “making terrorist threats.”
Police revealed that this wasn’t Aristy's first encounter with the law. He had previously been arrested 12 times for offenses including illegal weapon and drug possession, as well as assault. He had a history of posting about gun ownership and was under surveillance at the time of the emoji posts.
8. Man Sentenced to Jail for Sending Gun Emoji to Ex
In 2016, 22-year-old Bilal Azougagh was given a six-month imprisonment sentence for sending a gun emoji to his ex-girlfriend. This emoji was part of a series of disturbing messages he sent her after their breakup.
The ex pressed charges after receiving the emoji, which she interpreted as a death threat. Her legal team argued that the combination of the messages and the emoji frightened her and caused recurring nightmares. Azougagh’s defense countered, claiming that the emoji was meant harmlessly and carried no real threat.
The court ruled in favor of the woman, agreeing that the emoji constituted a death threat. Azougagh was sentenced to six months in prison and ordered to pay €1,000 in damages. However, he was fortunate that under French law, a death threat could lead to up to three years in prison and a €45,000 fine.
7. Man Arrested for Sending Explicit Emojis to a Teen
Emojis can sometimes carry sexual implications, which can lead to trouble, especially when sent to minors. This was the case for a 53-year-old Australian man who was arrested for sending inappropriate emojis to a young teenager.
The man, who had previously been arrested for attempting to groom minors, was released on bail. Weeks later, he returned to his old ways and tried to groom another 12-year-old through social media and text messages, using emojis instead of words.
While the police did not reveal the specific emojis the man used, they confirmed that he faced charges of “sexual assault, indecent treatment of children under 16, and indecent treatment of children under 12.”
6. Two Men Arrested for Sending a Threatening Emoji to Another Man
Threatening emojis aren’t always related to guns. Even a fist emoji can be used as a form of intimidation.
In 2015, South Carolina police arrested two 29-year-olds, David Fuentes and Matthew Cowan, for sending a combination of emojis—a fist, a hand resembling a gun, and a white ambulance—to an unnamed man.
Interestingly, unlike other emoji-related incidents, these men didn’t add any text to their messages, just the emojis. According to the police, the emojis signaled that the men planned to beat the victim so severely that he would require an ambulance to be taken to the hospital.
Earlier, Fuentes and Cowan had visited the man’s house with the intent to assault him. Though they weren't arrested for that attempt, law enforcement intervened after the emojis were sent. Fuentes and Cowan faced stalking charges.
5. Australian Man Faces Trouble for Sending Gun Emoji to His Ex
Jayde Booth, a 39-year-old man from Barrack Heights, New South Wales, Australia, was arrested after sending an emoji of a head and a gun to his ex. Despite their breakup, Booth continued to harass the unnamed woman, frequently contacting her.
The woman had a restraining order against Booth, but he ignored it and continued to send her troubling messages. One of these messages featured an emoji of a head with a gun pointed at it.
Booth also left trash outside her house. The woman, terrified by the constant harassment, eventually fled her home. The tipping point came when Booth called her six times from a private number. She reported him to the police after identifying him as the caller.
4. Man Sentenced to Jail for Sending Airplane Emoji to Ex
Even seemingly harmless emojis—such as an innocent airplane—can land someone in trouble. In 2017, 26-year-old Sloane Cruise Coake was arrested for sending an airplane emoji to his ex.
Before their breakup, the couple had lived together in Porirua, New Zealand. After they parted ways, the unnamed woman moved to Dunedin. Coake continued to contact her, frequently sending harassing messages through social media. Eventually, the woman had enough and sought a restraining order against him.
Undeterred, Coake persisted in reaching out to her. He even booked a flight to Dunedin and sent a message saying, “You’re going to f—ing get it.” To conclude the message, he attached an airplane emoji.
Judge Kevin Phillips, unfamiliar with emojis, had to ask Coake’s lawyer, Sarah Saunderson-Warner, to explain what an emoji was. She replied, “It’s one of the little characters sent after a text.” When asked if she personally used them, she confirmed that she did.
The judge then inquired whether the emoji in question was “a smiling one.” Saunderson-Warner clarified that it was an airplane emoji. Phillips immediately concluded that Coake was planning to travel to see his ex and sentenced him to eight months in prison.
3. Teacher Fired for Sending Eggplant Emoji to Student
Armando Alejo was a teacher in South Miami, Florida, until he was dismissed and banned from teaching for 10 years due to a series of inappropriate messages he sent to a student. The messages included emojis of a peach and an eggplant, symbols typically representing the buttocks and genitalia.
The incident began when Alejo told the unnamed 17-year-old student that he had barely passed his test with a score just under 54 percent. The student asked about the possibility of earning extra credit. This led to Alejo sending a series of inappropriate messages.
In one message, Alejo wrote, 'Convince me [winking emoji]. I’ll give you the B if you give me the D.' In another, he told the student, 'f—k that booty.' The student stopped responding and decided to accept his average score.
2. Teen Arrested For Adding Gun, Bomb, And Knife Emoji To Instagram Post
In 2015, a 12-year-old female student from Sidney Lanier Middle School in Fairfax, Virginia, found herself in serious trouble after posting threatening messages aimed at her school. The girl used another student's Instagram account to make these threats. One post read 'Killing,' accompanied by a gun emoji. Another post said, 'meet me in the library Tuesday.'
The most alarming message she posted included the words, 'Watch out, I’m coming,' followed by emojis of a gun, knife, and bomb. Additionally, the girl uploaded a list of students she disliked and threatened to attack the school on December 15.
The school resource officer tracked down the posts to the girl, who was quickly arrested and charged with a felony. Her mother claimed that the girl had no intention of harming anyone and was simply frustrated from being bullied at school. After further investigation, the police released her, revealing that she did not actually plan to carry out the threat.
1. Woman Unable To Use Bank App Because Of Emoji
This incident didn't result in an arrest. In 2016, Laurie Stark faced difficulties accessing her banking app after using an emoji as the nickname for her account.
The issue started when Stark changed her account nickname out of concern for being hacked. Instead of using her name, she chose the nail polish emoji. She didn't realize there was a problem until she tried to deposit a check using her banking app.
After several unsuccessful attempts, Stark reached out to customer support. They informed her that the emoji had disrupted their system, and they advised her to remove it. She was finally able to access the app once she changed her nickname to letters.
