Post reporters called the White House. Their phones showed 'Epstein Island.' (unintentional dup post)

[usonian]

Nevilledog got out an OP while I was composing this.
But I have neat graphics. One webp had to be converted. Oh well.


Paywalled, of course.


https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/power/2026/03/27/white-house-google-database-epstein/
Archived at https://archive.is/WW8SF#selection-227.0-227.76

Someone messed with Google’s widely cited databases of business listings.

On Wednesday, the first lady kicked off a “Fostering the Future Together” summit at the White House with a humanoid robot called Figure 03 that greeted the assembled spouses of world leaders in 11 languages. As the robot loped awkwardly, the first lady walked beside it with a deliberate, poised foot-over-foot gait that brought to mind her past as a model.

The Style section wanted to find out what designers one wears when hosting the “first American-made humanoid guest in the White House.” So we called the White House.

But as the phone rang, the name on the screen attached to the number read “Epstein Island.” It was not a wrong number. That’s what the phone displayed when some Washington Post journalists called the White House switchboard.

Those who saw “Epstein Island” were using Android phones from Google’s Pixel brand. Calling the White House from iPhones did not show a name on the screen.

It's apparently easy to alter business names or phone numbers in the databases that feed Google’s web search system, Google Maps and Google caller ID.

Fun photo at the link:


Boxes portraying files related to deceased financier Jeffrey Epstein are stacked on Pennsylvania Avenue during a Remove the Regime rally outside the White House in September. (Tom Brenner/For The Washington Post)

[Nevilledog]

1. Your graphics are very pretty.

[usonian]

2. They took a little time to convert/resize, so you beat me to the post!

No prob.
Great minds think alike.
Someday we will qualify for that distinction.