Why are you using the Russian war symbol "Z" as your icon for Windows, suddenly?

[milesfinn]

The icon on my windows machine used to say "zoom." Now it is a large "Z", just like the Russian war symbol. https://www.npr.org/2022/03/09/1085471200/the-letter-z-russia-ukraine

Please change back.

[skj]

Had same feeling. Creeps me out. Hopefully it get's updated.

[gxvxii]

omg this is just a letter. Are you going to ban Z off the alphabet?

[skj]

Context is important. Icon that is made up of just bold white Z isn't really used as alphabet it's used as graphic image and thus with no context can really give bad connotation for some people, some of whom might even lost their friends or family because of explosive that also had big bold white colour Z painted on it. When it appears in text same thing doesn't happen because we do not read text isolating each letter one by one. If icon was 'zm' (as in short for zoom) it would no longer be creating negative associations - if 'Zoom' doesn't fit in icon there are still plenty of options for Zoom that doesn't happen to match war symbols, could be 'zm' could be rectangle made up of

zo

om

[MPPeter]

Symbolism is important, as is context, and that's what people are saying.  No-one wants to ban the letter Z (which isn't part of the Russian alphabet anyway!)

[Luks]

Totally agree! I really don't like having a white bold sans serif "Z" sitting on my infobar all the time. 

[GTU]

I don’t want to sound like “karen”, but I felt very disturbed when I saw the capital white Z letter on my desktop. I never though I would feel that way about an English letter to be honest. I guess what contributed to my reaction is that fact, that I am Ukrainian, who’s family lives few hours away from the frontline. I wake up in the morning to messages from my mom, who have to spent her nights in the corridor of her apartment with sounds of shelling. Shaking, freezing, and not knowing if the next missile could end her life or the life of my siblings and their families.

I am not saying you should immediately change your design to satisfy mental state of random users... Honestly, I am not even sure what I am trying to say, but like nazis ruined the Buddhist symbol for prosperity, ruscizm is ruining English standalone letters Z, V and O. At least for Ukrainians, and at least for the period while the war lasts.

And that’s something I wish you could understand.

[febius84]

Every time I launch zoom it makes me crazy 

[SK3112]

Ich will wieder das frühere "zoom"-icon zurück!

[unnamed]

I agree, hate  "Z". This symbol is used for russian invasion of Ukraine and russian vehicles marked with "Z" every day kill our children and civilian people

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Z_(military_symbol))

Replace this icon ASAP

[MPPeter]

I think at least it's insensitive to world events and otherwise a total marketing mistake.  My workplace does not like it and we are far from being critical on most things, nor are we a bunch of 'Karens'.

[Rob-A]

Exactly - I just had the same reaction.  It's just bizarrely ignorant to use this at this time. 

And to the "will we ban letters" commenter, this is being used just like a Nazi swastika ...a hindu religious symbol ... and same thing applies.  If you walked down the street with 'it's just a letter' large white "Z" in much of the world, you'd be known as Team Putin.  It's really amazing ignorance, incredible.

[SK3112]

Endlich: "z" ist weg, "zm" ist viel besser!