Latest reports suggest that searching Google Maps for variations of the n-word followed by the word "house" will direct the user to the White House.
Google issued a statement apologizing for the incident, which is one of a number of incidents involving Google Maps in recent times.
"Some inappropriate results are surfacing in Google Maps that should not be, and we apologize for any offense this may have caused," said a Google spokesperson. "Our teams are working to fix this issue quickly."
The reason for the mishap is yet to be determined; however, some suggest that it has to do with the way that Google links phrases and terms used online to locations around the world.
"What we think is the cause, is that Google is seeing how people are talking about places on blogs, and Google's making those associations," said Danny Sullivan, founding editor of Search Engine Land. Sullivan suggests that this is not a result of someone overtly redirecting this particular search query to the White House.
Google Maps has been under attack a number of times in the past few months, with users discovering earlier this month that a user of Map Maker had uploaded a map of what was supposed to be a park. This park, however, was shaped like an Android robot urinating on an Apple logo. The incident was also very embarrassing for Google, which promptly removed the image and temporarily shut down Map Maker, which is the tool that allows users to edit maps.
This isn't even the first time that a prankster has made changes on Maps related to the White House. Last week a user labeled the White House as whistleblower Edward Snowden's lair.
Edits are normally supposed to go through a moderation process, so it is unknown exactly how the change was able to make it onto Google Maps. Google has said that it will give users an update on Map Maker and how edits will be handled going forward on May 27. Until that time, users will still be able to report mistakes and suggest changes; however, they will not be able to make the changes themselves.
Only time will tell what kinds of changes Google makes to the Map Maker program, however it is unlikely that the company will do away with it considering it is one of the main ways in which Google Maps is able to be kept so up to date. It is more likely that the company will make the moderation process a little stricter.
