San Francisco Tech Prankster Reveals Spotify Playlists of Politicians, CEOs
A San Francisco resident has launched a website, The Panama Playlists, exposing the listening habits of prominent figures including politicians, tech CEOs, adn celebrities by scraping their public Spotify accounts. The site, created by Max Walz, displays the playlists and, in some cases, the last song played by individuals like Jackson Browne, Rickie Lee Jones, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, and U.S. Attorney General Pam bondi.
The project shines a light on the digital footprints of public figures and raises questions about privacy in the age of streaming services. Walz, who has been collecting the data for over a year, claims a “near-certainty” in identifying the accounts, even those using their real names. The Panama Playlists joins a string of previous San Francisco-based pranks and online projects orchestrated by Walz, including a fake sign mocking California’s retail theft law, infiltrating an APEC Summit gala posing as a reporter, and creating the AI-powered “LooksMapping” website that ranks restaurants by the attractiveness of their patrons.
According to the website, Altman’s recent listening included David Guetta and OneRepublic’s “I Don’t wanna Wait” and missy Elliott’s “Get Ur Freak on,” while Browne has been enjoying “The Fuse” and Jones, “Chuck E’s In Love.” Walz states he was able to identify the accounts through examination and, in some cases, a setting that displays recently played songs.
“I found the real Spotify accounts of celebrities, politicians, and journalists. Many use their real names. With a little investigating,I could say with near-certainty: yep,this is that person,” Walz wrote on The Panama playlists website. A full list of accounts featured on the site can be found at https://panamaplaylists.com/.
