this post was submitted on 13 Feb 2025
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Mexican President Threatens to Sue Google Over 'Gulf of America' Label on Maps. (www.commondreams.org)
submitted 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) by [email protected] to c/technology
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The president of Mexico on Thursday expressed hope that Google "reconsiders" its decision to change its online maps to reflect U.S. President Donald Trump's claim that he has the authority to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico.

Shortly after taking office, Trump issued an executive order announcing he was changing the name of the body of water to the Gulf of America.

For U.S. users of Google Maps, the gulf was listed as the Gulf of America as of Thursday. Google, whose CEO attended Trump's inauguration along with other tech moguls, said last month it has "a long-standing practice of applying name changes when they have been updated in official government sources."

But Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum warned Thursday that her government "will file a civil suit" against Google if it does not revert back to labeling the international body of water the Gulf of Mexico.

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[–] [email protected] 15 points 1 week ago (1 children)

americans can call it whatever the fuck they want, that wont suddenly change its local or english name in any other countries

[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Imagine being a tourist in the US, looking for an address you believe to be say, Martin Luther King Street. Can't find it anywhere, even on Google maps, then eventually you talk to someone and find out it's now called Elon Musk Avenue.

Not saying this is exactly the same, but if we're letting people change the names of places on commonly used global map software willy nilly, even if it's just region to region, we're gonna end up with problems. It's not like "freedom fries" back in the day that legitimately affected no one.

And I am suddenly seeing a parenthetical on the Gulf here outside the US, so there technically was a sudden change

[–] JustARaccoon 8 points 1 week ago (1 children)

The issue is the US does not own the gulf whereas they own the streets.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

True. Guess it's more like them getting Google to change Greenland into West Alaska

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago (2 children)

East? It's east of Alaska...

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I'd like to say I did that on purpose to show how dumb they'd be renaming it, but it is I who can't remember my East and West

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 days ago

Was going to say, it's West if you go far enough

[–] raynethackery 1 points 1 week ago

Semisopochnoi Island in Alaska with gps coordinates 51°57′42″N 179°46′23″E – easternmost point in all U.S. territory by longitude. https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/the-easternmost-point-in-north-america-is-actually-west-of-alaska.html