Earlier this month, Google shut down Google Map Maker, its online map editing tool. Originally envisioned as a way to take advantage of the crowdsourcing trend, Google found that it wasn’t always being used to enrich Google Maps with knowledge from local experts. Instead, it was often used for pranks. In one example, an image of the Android mascot relieving itself on the Apple logo was made to look like it was a park in Pakistan. A new method of hacking Google Maps has surfaced, and this time, the target of the prank was the White House.

At the time of the publication of this article, Google Maps takes users directly to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington DC, the White House, when the search term “nigga house” is entered. It’s unclear how this racial epithet hack was accomplished. A similar hack was discovered previously where a fake snowboarding business called Edward’s Snow Den was located inside the White House. The play on words was meant to give the appearance of Edward Snowden, famous for leaking classified NSA documents, hiding inside the White House. The new hack differs in that once users are taken to the White House in Google Maps, there is no separate listing for a business with the offensive slur as the name. In this case, it acts more like a keyword shortcut that directs users to the White House, than a separate business listing.

It’s thought that the Edward’s Snow Den hack was accomplished by exploiting a Google Maps Verified Business feature. Businesses can obtain Verified status by allowing Google to send a letter with a verification code to the business address listed. Once the letter is received and the code is entered, the business is considered legitimate by Google. When a verified business moves locations, that trusted status allows them to update the listing without going through the address verification process. Edward’s fake snowboarding shop was likely verified, which allowed the user to move the business inside the White House.

What some people may find to be the most remarkable part of the story is the fact that Google has yet to correct this mistake. They’re said to be working on it, but the hack is still live. It’s hard to understand how it could possibly be so difficult to correct. It could be that the Google Maps system allows for remnant listings. In other words, when a business is no longer at a particular location, users can still search for it and see where it was. Perhaps the verified business hack was used, and although the business has since been deleted, that search remnant remains. It’s unfortunate that the end result will most likely be a Google Maps with less customization features.

photo credit: ‘The White House’ via photopin (license)