Skeptics with a K

Episode #452

February 19, 2026

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  • The spurious equal signs frequently appearing in the publicly released Epstein files are artifacts of improperly decoded 'quoted printable' email encoding, not intentional codes or redaction markers. 
  • A specific, widely reported claim that Jeffrey Epstein received a message referencing a 'nine years old' victim is likely a result of a known bug in Microsoft Outlook's handling of quoted printable soft line breaks, where the original age was likely '19 years old', a fact verifiable in other versions of the same email. 
  • The hosts emphasize the importance of factual accuracy when condemning Jeffrey Epstein and his associates, arguing that repeating misinformation, even if it seems damning, weakens the overall case for accountability. 

Segments

Podcast Introduction and Context
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(00:01:22)
  • Key Takeaway: Skeptics with a K is a podcast promoting science, reason, and critical thinking, produced by Skeptic Media and Merseyside Skeptics.
  • Summary: The episode date is established as Thursday, February 19th, 2026. The podcast is produced by Skeptic Media in association with the Merseyside Skeptic Society. Host Mike Hall is joined by Marsh and Alice to discuss the Epstein files.
Epstein Files and Spurious Equals Signs
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(00:01:47)
  • Key Takeaway: Spurious equal signs in the Epstein files are a formatting artifact, not evidence of steganography or secret codes.
  • Summary: The discussion begins by addressing conspiracy theories surrounding the Epstein files, specifically the presence of unexplained equal signs. Claims that these signs are FBI leaks markers or secret codes are dismissed as untrue. The host intends to explain the true technical origin of these symbols.
History of Character Encoding
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(00:07:49)
  • Key Takeaway: Early digital text transmission relied on 7-bit ASCII, which lacked characters for non-Roman alphabets or accents, necessitating workarounds like quoted printable.
  • Summary: The technical explanation traces back to character encoding standards, contrasting modern Unicode (UTF-8) with the older 7-bit ASCII standard used for teletype machines. ASCII only supported 128 characters, leading to issues when transmitting data requiring accented characters or characters outside the basic set.
Quoted Printable Encoding Explained
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(00:17:40)
  • Key Takeaway: Quoted printable converts 8-bit characters (like French accents) into safe ASCII sequences using an equals sign followed by a hexadecimal code (e.g., =C7).
  • Summary: Quoted printable was introduced to safely transmit 8-bit data over 7-bit email systems by encoding special characters as an equals sign followed by their hexadecimal value. A soft line break marker, intended to manage line length conventions (78 characters), is encoded as =CRLF (equals, carriage return, line feed).
Decoding Error in Epstein Files
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(00:22:50)
  • Key Takeaway: The equal signs in the Epstein files are leftovers from quoted printable decoding failures during the PDF conversion process.
  • Summary: The equal signs are remnants where email software failed to properly decode quoted printable sequences back into standard text characters. This failure to decode correctly is the direct cause of the spurious equals signs seen throughout the documents.
Misinformation on Victim Age
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(00:23:05)
  • Key Takeaway: A message referencing a ’nine years old’ victim is likely a misinterpretation of a decoding error where the original age was 19.
  • Summary: A specific email referencing a ’nine years old’ victim, which contradicted known patterns of Epstein’s abuse, is analyzed. The error stems from a known bug in Microsoft Outlook’s handling of quoted printable soft breaks using =LF instead of =CRLF, which incorrectly converts ‘19’ to ‘9’.
Importance of Factual Accuracy
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(00:30:20)
  • Key Takeaway: Condemnation of Jeffrey Epstein and his associates must be built on accurate facts, as the truth is damning enough without relying on technical errors.
  • Summary: The host expresses concern that repeating technically incorrect interpretations of the files minimizes the severity of the crimes. It is crucial for skeptics to correct misinformation, even when it appears to support a negative view of the subject.
Event Plug and Patreon Appeal
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(00:31:10)
  • Key Takeaway: Liverpool Skeptics in the Pub is hosting Madeline Finley to discuss climate change reporting challenges, and listeners are encouraged to support the podcast via Patreon.
  • Summary: An upcoming event featuring Madeline Finley from the Guardian Science podcast on climate change reporting is announced for that evening in Liverpool. Listeners are urged to support the podcast and Merseyside Skeptic Society through their respective Patreon channels for ad-free content.