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Abstract
As emojiFootnote1 become more commonplace in courtroom proceedings, a question arises: what role do emoji play in social media messaging? The author draws a comparison between oral communication and social media messages and concludes lawyers have been too quick to treat text and emoji as a bundle when they should be adopting a piecemeal approach. While emoji may add context and clarity to social media messages that might otherwise appear ambiguous; emoji interpretation is far from an exact science. By exploring linguistic, gesture, and non-verbal communication theory, the author intends to discuss the tension that exists when it comes to deciphering the meaning of online communications – that include emoji – in court proceedings. While there is a tendency to conflate emoji with text in linguistic and non-verbal communication theory, a proper evidentiary analysis requires a piecemeal approach. To permeate these dynamics, the author has researched Canadian, U.K, Australian, and New Zealand case law over the period 2015 to 2020 where emoji were referenced in court decisions. The paper focuses on the treatment of emoji by the courts in these cases. Finally, the paper reviews the relevant legal issues and concludes with a consideration of whether the existing laws relating to electronic documents ought to be reformed to accommodate the admissibility of emoji messages in court proceedings.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Notes
1 For the purposes of this paper, the author has determined to use the term “emoji” to denote both the singular and plural versions of the word.
2 E.A. Wallis Budge, The Rosetta Stone 1–2 (2016) See also History.com Editors, This Day in History: July 19, History (July 27, 2019), https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/rosetta-stone-found.
3 Id.
4 See History.com, supra note 2.
5 Rachel Scall, Emoji as Language and Their Place outside American Copyright Law, 5 NYU J. Intell. Prop. & Ent. L. 381, (2016).
6 The WIRED Guide to Emoji, WIRED (Feb. 6 2019), https://www.wired.com/story/guide-emoji/amp.
7 VPRO, Beyond the emoji: VPRO Documentary, Youtube (Nov. 1, 2019), http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5y55fh_-s&feature=youtu.be.
8 Id.
9 I have chosen not to deal directly with emoticons or Kaomoji in this paper.
10 Gretchen McCulloch, Because Internet: Understanding the New Rules Of Language, 174–185 (2019) at 180.
11 Who Invented Emojis?, Wonderopolis, http://wonderopolis.org/wonder/who-invented-emojis.
12 Id.
13 Interaksyon Technology, Japanese Shigetaka Kurita, the man who created emoji characters, Youtube (Dec. 16, 2016), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJ3XRAefiYs&feature=youtu.be.
14 WIRED, supra note 5.
15 Id.
16 Marcel Danesi, The Semiotics of Emoji: The Rise of Visual Language in the Age of the Internet vi (2017).
17 VPRO, supra note 6.
18 Simran Babbar, World Emoji Day 2020: Know history of this day and new emojis to be added this year, Jagran English (July 16, 2020), https://english.jagran.com/lifestyle/world-emoji-day-2020-know-history-of-this-day-and-new-emojis-to-be-added-this-year-10014059.
19 WIRED, supra note 5.
20 VPRO, supra note 6.
21 Id.
22 Id.
23 WIRED, supra note 5.
24 VPRO, supra note 6.
25 Vyvyan Evans, The Emoji Code: The Linguistics Behind Smiley Faces and Scaredy Cats 62 (2017).
26 Id.
27 Brian Frye, Eric Goldman on Emojis & the Law, Youtube (Jul. 9, 2019) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJDCrMjNMFE.
28 Id.
29 Id.
30 Internet Law Student Organization SCU Law, Emojis and the Law hosted by ILSO, Youtube (Feb. 13, 2019) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGu3SPIYLs.
31 Id.
32 Id.
33 TEDxToronto, From Cave Drawings to Emojis: Communication Comes Full Circle | Marcel Danesi | TEDxToronto, Youtube (Dec. 13, 2016), http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QylCztffk.
34 Id.
35 Wikipedia, Lascaux, Wikipedia, http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lascaux.
36 TEDxToronto, supra note 33.
37 Leonardo Da Vinci: The Last Supper (BBC 2006).
38 Art & Copy (Seventh Art Releasing 2009).
39 TEDxToronto, supra note 33.
40 Danesi, supra note 15 at 167–68.
41 Id at vii.
42 Alfred M. Tozzer, Gesture and Environment, 44 American Anthropologist 715, (1942) http://www.anthrosource.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1525/aa.1942.44.4.02a00260.
43 Id.
44 Professor Mark G. Frank, Understanding Nonverbal Communication: Course Guidebook, 60–62 (2016).
45 Id.
46 Id.
47 McCulloch, supra note 9 at 158.
48 Id at 157–158.
49 Id.
50 Id.
51 Id at 161.
52 Id at 194.
53 Benjamin Mueller and Al Baker, ‘2 N.Y.P.D. Officers Killed in Brooklyn Ambush; Suspect Commits Suicide’ N.Y. Times (20 December 2014).
54 Thomas Tracy, ‘Winking smiley face: Brooklyn teen boy’s emoji cop threat charges tossed by grand jury’ New York Daily News (3 February 2015).
55 Evans, supra note 24 at 38.
56 Justin Jouvenal, ‘A 12-year-old girl is facing criminal charges for using certain emojis. She’s not alone’ The Washington Post (27 February 2016).
57 Evans, supra note 24 at 70.
58 Understanding Nonverbal Communication: Lecture 1 (The Teaching Company 2016).
59 Id.
60 Frank, supra note 44 at 3.
61 Albert Mehrabian, Nonverbal Communication, 182–184 (1972). See also Evans, supra note 27 at 113–115.
62 Frank, supra note 44 at 4.
63 Understanding Nonverbal Communication: Lecture 6 (The Teaching Company 2016).
64 Charles Darwin, The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals, (1872).
65 Frank, supra note 44 at 44–45.
66 Id at 45.
67 Id.
68 Id at 46.
69 Id at 47.
70 Id at 49.
71 Id at 47. See also Paul Ekman, Dr. Paul Ekman on Expression and Gesture and Their Role in Emotion and Deception – Part 1, Youtube (Jul. 2, 2013), http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9i-9_QuetA.
72 N.F. v. Halton Children’s Aid Society (CYFSA s. 120), 2020 CFSRB 14 (Can. Ont.).
73 Id at para 12.
74 Evidence Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. E.23 (Can. On.).
75 McConnell Transport Ltd. v. O’Donnell, Re, 2019 CarswellNat 3470 (Can. Adj.) (WL);.
76 Id at para 29.
77 Greene v. Barnes Harley-Davidson, 2019 BCHRT 263 (Can.);
78 R. v. Ukbepor, 2019 ABQB 261 (Can.);
79 Id at para 25.
80 Id at para 53.
81 Id at para 54.
82 Id at para 87.
83 R. v. Sharma, 2019 ONSC 1248 (Can.);
84 Id at 35–36.
85 Clio, supra note 29.
86 R. v. G.H., 2017 ONCJ 956 (Can.);
87 Id at para 177.
88 R. v. Godad, 2020 ONSC 1392 (Can.);
89 Id at para 65.
90 Nationwide News Pty Limited v. Rush, [2020] FCAFC 115 (2 July 2020) (Austl.).
91 Id at para 323.
92 R. v. Mumbulla, [2020] NSWDC 207 (19 May 2020) (Austl.).
93 R. v. Usher [2017] EWCA Crim 1597 (1 September 2017) (UK) (QL).
94 Id at paras 6–8.
95 Id at para 28.
96 Director of Public Prosecutions v. Walsh [2019] IECA 297 (Ir.);
97 Although the author notes that Ireland is not in the Commonwealth, this case is nevertheless instructive of the issues discussed in this paper.
98 Supra note 104.
99 Canadian Evidence Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. C-5 (Can.) [CEA].
100 Gerald Chan & Nader R. Hasan, Digital Privacy: Criminal, Civil and Regulatory Litigation 254 (2018).
101 Id.
102 Id at 254–255.
103 Id at 255.
104 White Burgess Langille Inman v. Abbott and Haliburton Co., 2015 SCC 23 (Can.).
105 Id.
106 R. v. Mohan, [1994] 2 SCR 9 (Can.).
107 White Burgess, supra note 113.
108 Id at para 23.
109 Id at para 53.
110 The Hon. Justice Jocelyn Speyer, Limits on Expert Witness Testimony, Even when Admissible, 45th National Criminal Law Program Conference (July 2018) at 7.
111 R. v. White, 2011 SCC 13 (Can.) at para 50.
112 Clio, supra note 29.
113 Johnson v. State of Maryland, 2020 Md. App. LEXIS 80 (Md. Ct. Special App. Jan. 31, 2020).
114 R. v. Sekhon, 2014 SCC 15 (Can.).
115 Id at para 80.
116 An Act to amend the Criminal Code and the Department of Justice Act and to make consequential amendments to another Act, SC 2018, c. 29 (Can.).
117 Criminal Code of Canada, R.S.C. 1985, c. C-46 (Can.) at s. 278.1.
118 Jill Witkin & Daniel Brown, Prosecuting and Defending Sexual Offence Cases 211 (2020).
119 Id at 211–214.
120 R. v. A.R.D., 2017 ABCA 237 (Can.).
121 R. v. A.R.J.D., 2018 SCC 6 (Can.).
122 R. v. A.B.A., 2019 ONCA 124 (Can.).
123 R. v. Cepic, 2019 ONCA 541 (Can.).
124 R. v. Lacombe, 2019 ONCA 938 (Can.).
125 R. v. J.V., 2007 ONCA 194 (Can.).
126 R. v. L.S., 2017 ONCA 685 (Can.).
127 Wikipedia, Festina Lente, Wikipedia (Last updated June 29, 2020) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Festina_lente.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Michael A. Crystal
Michael Crystal is a certified criminal law specialist under the Law Society of Ontario and is currently pursuing a Masters of Law at Osgoode Hall Law School at York University. Michael obtained his MA in Classics in 1988 from Dalhousie University. He then graduated with an LLB from Dalhousie University's Schulich School of Law in 1991. Michael was called to the Newfoundland bar in 1992, followed by the Ontario bar in 1996. He worked as a public defender for the Newfoundland Legal Aid Commission from 1991 to 1995. Since then he has worked for Borden Ladner Gervais, Gowlings Lafleur Henderson and Pinkofsky Lockyer before starting his own firm Crystal & Associates in 2001. In 2015, Michael joined Spiteri & Ursulak as a partner to lead their privacy, regulatory and class action team. He is currently a sole practitioner and part time professor at the University of Ottawa, Faculty of Law where he teaches Trial Advocacy. In his spare time, Michael writes for a number of legal journals and publications.
Brad Ververs
Brad Ververs is an incoming third-year student in the Faculty of Common Law at the University of Ottawa. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Genetics and Biochemistry from the University of Western Ontario. He assisted Mr. Crystal in researching this project. His interests include legal history, writing and hockey.
Maria Khan
Maria Khan is an articling student working for Michael Crystal. She is a recent graduate from the English Common Law program at the University of Ottawa, Faculty of Law. She also attended York University where she obtained a BA in Law & Society. She assisted Mr. Crystal in researching and editing this project. She is an avid Toronto Raptors fan and her interests include discovering new music and writing.