U+0002 "STX" START OF TEXT Unicode Character

U+0002 "STX" START OF TEXT is one of the original control characters defined in the ASCII standard, serving as a communication control code in data transmission protocols. Its primary function is to mark the beginning of the actual textual content within a transmitted message, following any header or control information that may have preceded it. Historically, STX was used in systems like the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) X3.28 and the IBM Binary Synchronous Communications protocol to help receivers identify where the meaningful data starts, ensuring that metadata such as addressing or synchronization markers does not interfere with the text itself. Though rarely used in modern everyday text, it remains defined in Unicode for compatibility with legacy systems and is represented as a non-printable character.