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submitted 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) by Cat@ponder.cat to c/technology@lemmy.world

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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[-] bitwolf@sh.itjust.works 19 points 6 days ago

Google also removed the ability to suggest edits to specifically the Gulf.

Guess they knew ahead of time they'd get an influx of requests to change or back.

[-] piamedeadigital@lemmy.cafe 1 points 6 days ago

They hadn't removed that ability as of Thursday evening, because I was able to give feed back. My guess is they got a rash of hate messages similar to mine and decided to remove it because of that. I hate them so much right now, but Google is unfortunately the forefront service for my online life. So much I do with Google apps that I really can't get in any one other place.

[-] fx242@lemmy.world 6 points 6 days ago

Golf of Portugal While we are at renaming things...

[-] TypicalHog@lemm.ee 4 points 6 days ago

But it kinda makes sense to be called Gulf of America since it's located in North America.

[-] Ghostalmedia@lemmy.world 18 points 6 days ago

It also kind of makes sense to leave the name in place since the world has been calling it the "Gulf of Mexico" mid-1500s. The original name was in reference to the Aztecs.

[-] Ostrichgrif@lemmy.world 5 points 6 days ago

It's also the country that has the majority of the coastline

[-] ChapulinColorado@lemmy.world 218 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Why bother with this? If you want to make a point, pass regulation in Mexico to call E.E.U.U. (US in Mexico) be called Northern Mexico. Then Google is forced to comply on that territory like they claim they do for disputed sections when maps are viewed from that region. It would make for some funny reactions from people visiting Cancun or Puerto Vallarta.

Edit: plus it would show how stupid the whole rename thing is to begin with.

[-] billwashere@lemmy.world 180 points 1 week ago

TIL…

The abbreviation E.E.U.U. (often written as EE. UU.) stands for Estados Unidos (United States) in Spanish. This abbreviation follows a grammatical rule in Spanish where doubling the initial letters of each word indicates plurality

So you taught me something today I did not know. Thank you!!

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[-] magnetosphere@fedia.io 118 points 1 week ago

Don’t “threaten”. Any asshole can make a threat. GO AHEAD AND DO IT.

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[-] Cethin@lemmy.zip 83 points 1 week ago

Everyone needs to get used to ignoring this bullshit. The Gulf of America thing isn't important. It doesn't effect anyone, and there's far too many posts about it when there are real things to pay attention to. This is purely a distraction. Stop giving it attention.

[-] IzzyJ@lemmy.world 59 points 1 week ago

There is one part thats relevant, and thats the government suing AsPo for refusing to comply. Thats a direct attack on the First Amendment

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[-] brucethemoose@lemmy.world 62 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

I can see Google (and Apple) quietly paying a fine and changing it for Mexico (and any other jurisdiction that specifically asks).

This is stupid and cowardly of them, but that aside, the implication is 100% “comply, or the US government will make life difficult for Google.” I can see how they’re stuck between a rock and a hard place.

[-] Arbiter@lemmy.world 71 points 1 week ago

Nah, they’re willing collaborators.

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this post was submitted on 13 Feb 2025
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