Cryptocurrency exchange Binance has removed an emoji on Twitter (TWTR) that resembled a Nazi swastika.
Twitter sometimes lets brands design their own custom emojis to include in hashtags in order to promote their business. In this case, Binance launched an emoji for several hashtags, including #Binance, #BNB and #BitcoinButton.
The associated emoji for these hashtags depicted a block with Binance’s logo surrounded by four pixelated arms each bent at a right angle, similar to the swastika symbol used in Nazi Germany during World War Two.
Twitter users were quick to pick up on the emoji’s resemblance to a swastika. Some highlighted the significance of the day Binance chose to launch the emoji: April 20, Adolf Hitler’s birthday.
Binance has since removed the emoji and replaced it with a new one that looks more like a coin.
“Well that was obviously really embarrassing,” the company wrote on Twitter. “We’re not sure how that emoji got through several layers of review without anyone noticing, but we immediately flagged the issue, pulled it down, and the new emoji design is being rolled out as we speak,” Binance added in a tweet.
Founded in 2017 by Canadian entrepreneur Changpeng Zhao, Binance is the world’s largest digital currency exchange, handling more than $18 billion U.S. in trading volumes a day.
