Think Twice Before Sending That Red Heart Emojis to Girls

New Delhi: Saudi Arabia, according to reports, will punish WhatsApp users who send the "red heart" emoji to others. Residents who are found guilty of texting the red heart emoji face up to two years in prison and a fine of up to SAR 100,000, according to the Saudi newspaper Okaz (via Gulf Times) (roughly Rs 20 lakhs). Sending "red hearts" on WhatsApp might be considered a "harassment offence," according to Moataz Kutbi, a member of Saudi Arabia's Anti-Fraud Association, in a statement to the outlet. The use of emojis appears to be legal in the country, but if a user believes the use is inappropriate, he or she can file a complaint.

"According to the anti-harassment system [of Saudi Arabia], harassment is defined as any statement, act, or gesture with a sexual connotation made by a person towards any other that touches his/her body, or honour, or infringes his/her modesty by any means, including modern technology," Kutubi, a member of the Saudi Anti-Fraud Association, continued." This contains (emojis) with sexual connotations, such as red hearts and red roses, according to social convention."

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The member further cautioned against starting a conversation (even on WhatsApp) without the other user's permission. The anti-harassment policy appears to apply to emojis that reflect other sexual innuendos. A repeat offence could result in a fine of up to SAR 300,000 (about Rs 60 lakh) and five years in prison, according to the report.

In other WhatsApp-related news, the network is developing a new feature that would give administrators more control over group chats. The WhatsApp Community appears to be a mash-up of many groups into a single community with its own set of tools for administrators. Another improvement is in the works, which will give group admins the ability to delete any messages from the group chat.