Google Maps changes Lake Ontario to ‘Lake America’ for U.S. users
https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/article/google-maps-changes-lake-ontario-to-lake-america-for-us-users/
https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/article/google-maps-changes-lake-ontario-to-lake-america-for-us-users/
130 Comments
DoctorNope@lemmy.world · 149 pts · 1d
Watching these corporate collaborators fall all over themselves to enact the profoundly stupid and short-sighted whims of a sodden, rotting corpse when they could just…not do that…has been one of the most surreal experiences of my life.
The sad thing is, thanks to their capture of both parties, I have no conceit they’ll actually experience any consequences for it. We have handed power to some of the least-deserving ghouls the Wharton School of Business ever squeezed out.
silentjohn@lemmy.ml · 16 pts · 1d
Hi, I work in the map industry. We generally don't get to decide what names to use for features. We apply what the local official name is (to simplify). That's why if you're in country A, feature X might be named something different than if you're in country B. You can imagine this would (and has) caused many conflicts around the world if we didn't display the local official name. (Switch your region via VPN and you can see this in action)
If Google renamed it to Gulf of America, no Google didn't, not really ... They just inserted the new official name for that feature according to GNIS.
snooggums@piefed.world · 63 pts · 1d
Mapquest isn't changing it because an executive order doesn't change the name outside of the US executive branch. They can easily ignore petty GNIS changes.
Google is just gargling Trump's nuts because they want to.
AfterlifeAdventures@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 1d
Waze hasn't either, otherwise imma be done with it all
blinkfink182@lemmy.zip · 25 pts · 1d
Hate to break it to you but google owns Waze.
AfterlifeAdventures@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 1d
Well on my map its still there as OG, so until it changes I'll use it, but always down for recommended better non-google that people contribute to pigs wastin time for speeders, mofos got everyone doin 10 under near me, highway I wanna go fast
BladeFederation@piefed.social · 34 pts · 1d
Except it's not official. An executive order means the executive branch has to use that name. Nobody else does.
silentjohn@lemmy.ml · 0 pts · 1d
It is official in the eyes of the US Government. I'm simply explaining why some/most map companies will include the change.
Furbag@pawb.social · 25 pts · 1d
Trump is not a king, and outside of the executive branch, his executive orders have no binding power.
Google et. al. Are, last I checked, not part of the executive branch, and are under no obligation to abide by Trump renaming bodies of water.
They're doing it because they want to. Because they know it will make Trump happy.
silentjohn@lemmy.ml · 1 pts · 1d
It's the official GNIS name now, and is usually just piped into the maps. There aren't people actually deciding which names to use at Google, HERE, whatever, etc ... we just push sources in.
sure, ok ... guess you know more than my 20+ years experience at a digital map company that actually taught google how to make their maps.
Furbag@pawb.social · 3 pts · 19h
Google deciding to continue using a dataset that has been completely captured by a megalomaniac at the head of an authoritarian regime is on them. I cannot stress enough that they do not have to use GNIS, as evidenced by all the other map apps that, y'know, don't.
DoctorNope@lemmy.world · 15 pts · 1d
The Google Maps change does only seems to be visible for people with US IPs. But I assume that Apple Maps, Mapquest, Mapbox, Bing (TIL Bing has a map feature), etc all use GNIS to label features too, right? None of them have changed the name yet. Seems unlikely that all of them would still be out-of-sync with upstream, and let Google drink their milkshake like this.
According to this Wired article:
Sure looks to me like Google made the change before the basemaps were updated. It’s now 23:40 EDT Sunday, and GNIS still says Lake Ontario…so yeah, I think this is on them. Dear Leader told them to jump, and they rushed to show him how high they could get.
silentjohn@lemmy.ml · 1 pts · 21h
It's not like we all have one live server that ingests source changes and the customers will see it immediately. There is a massively delay, release schedules, etc.
But yea, you could be right on this specific point
DoctorNope@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 17h
Good! Sounds like there’s plenty of time built in to the system for impact analysis, change management, QA, and the like, to avoid pushing unnecessary updates that end up pissing everyone off.
silentjohn@lemmy.ml · 2 pts · 16h
Who gets to determine if they're unnecessary updates?
EDIT/Update: 'Lake America' is currently under discussion from our Geopolitical Policy Board.
AfterlifeAdventures@lemmy.world · 9 pts · 1d
So switch it back, all Nazis must (redacted)
kuiskaaja@lemmy.ml · -14 pts · 1d
i think that's a bit of a rash reaction to changing the name of a lake locally
Rothe@piefed.social · 7 pts · 1d
You are aware this is not the only thing Trump has done, right? That there is a whole context of him and his collaborators doing shit for decades which this particular decision should be considered part of.
Greyghoster@aussie.zone · 5 pts · 1d
What you say about local names is correct, however the issue is that Demented Don has just decided that this is a good way to punish Canada. It is still surprising that a president can make such a change by executive order and there is no uproar in the US.
silentjohn@lemmy.ml · -2 pts · 1d
We've got bigger things to worry about than feature naming tbh.
Greyghoster@aussie.zone · 7 pts · 1d
It’s just symptomatic of the destruction of social and diplomatic capital (pardon the cold calculating economic word) that this old demented fools is engaged in. His economic destruction and greed and theft is another story.
silentjohn@lemmy.ml · 5 pts · 1d
1000% agree. And maps are absolutely political, but this is just another distraction.
Redjard@reddthat.com · 4 pts · 20h
Google shows the renamed gulf of mexico in europe too. From memory, it initially fully renamed it and then much later started showing both. But they're clearly not just following local gov exec policy.
prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 3 pts · 20h
Do you guys use Mt. McKinley or Denali?
edwardbear@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 1d
I bet you Sergey was a frequent flyer to the island.
tidderuuf@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 1d
We... Voted for this?!? Whoops.
TheFeatureCreature@lemmy.ca · 1 pts · 1d
Twice!
halcyoncmdr@piefed.social · -1 pts · 1d
I'm not even sure it's collaboration for the dumb shit like this. It's just not worth spending millions of dollars litigating over something that doesn't actually fucking matter. Not litigating the name change itself, but whatever bullshit Trump decides to do for his temper tantrum for being ignored.
It will just be changed back eventually.
magnue@lemmy.world · 81 pts · 1d
Cringe
cyberpunk007@lemmy.ca · 60 pts · 1d
Fuck you google
mereo@piefed.ca · 55 pts · 1d
I'm Canadian and I switched to maps.here.com, a European service as it provides good transit info. We need to move away from American hegemony.
silentjohn@lemmy.ml · 40 pts · 1d
HERE Maps will include the change, I 100% guarantee it. They have Gulf of America pushed to prod servers. (switch to US vpn location and you will see it)
source: I may or may not work for them 🫠
skankhunt42@lemmy.ca · 10 pts · 1d
As long as they only change it in the US, that's fine with me. I'd still rather support the EU.
halcyoncmdr@piefed.social · 13 pts · 1d
FYI... Changing it in the US only is exactly what Google is doing, just like with the Gulf.
rants_unnecessarily@piefed.social · 3 pts · 1d
Except I also have it as lake America and I'm in Europe.
khannie@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 1d
Did you search for lake America? I'm also in Europe and replied to your other comment with pics. It defaults to lake Ontario for me.
rants_unnecessarily@piefed.social · 5 pts · 1d
No. I searched for Lake Ontario. That comes up with the pictures etc, and that has Lake America in backets. Then I zoomed in to it and it was just Lake America. However that was yesterday, today it is back to Ontario.
The day before I also checked it out and it was only Ontario, without even the brackets. So it was only for a day for some reason.
BigPotato@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 23h
Sounds like your country may be becoming the US soon then. Google must've bought early access to his tweets...
Kkk2237pl@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 23h
I thought they relied on open street map
silentjohn@lemmy.ml · 2 pts · 21h
HERE Maps? Absolutely not. OSM is a competitor to HERE.
Kkk2237pl@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 19h
How they get information about places like restaurants, shops etc?
silentjohn@lemmy.ml · 3 pts · 19h
external sources like Yelp, Trip Advisor, Localeze, FB
kuiskaaja@lemmy.ml · 3 pts · 1d
website doesn't even open for me xD
i just use osmand on my phone for general navigation and my city's public transportation app for navigating the bus system
pdxfed@lemmy.world · 42 pts · 1d
For android users recommend CoMaps, or "OSMand", both are open source and privacy focused. Both use openstreetmaps data, CoMaps just have what I think is a cleaner interface. Both have offline maps, turn-by-turn navigation and frankly a lot more customization since it's not corporate owned. No ads, and no businesses who pay being stuffed in your eyes first when maps load.
Both are much improved since trying to ditch maps a few years ago and basic local business info wasn't available, now it looks to be much improved and it's a great time to jump.
Hope this helps someone.
return2ozma@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 1d
Nice! Thanks
luciferofastora@feddit.org · 7 pts · 1d
Just downloaded both, will give them a try - thsnks for the recommendation!
Puddinghelmet@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 23h
Or mapy.cz
Kkk2237pl@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 23h
Mapy.cz relies on open street map, but it has advantage that you can add reviews and photos to places.
I think its the best replacement right now, but it needs more community
MonkderVierte@lemmy.zip · 3 pts · 1d
There's also Organic Maps.
cobalt32@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 7 pts · 18h
CoMaps was forked from Organic Maps. There was some drama because the Organic Maps shareholders were demanding profit or something, idk. CoMaps is like the community edition, so they aren't beholden to any shareholders.
MonkderVierte@lemmy.zip · 1 pts · 15h
Ah right, i forgot.
tigeruppercut@lemmy.zip · 41 pts · 22h
Like I said when Zuck et al were on the inauguration stage kissing the orange ass: what's the point of fuck you money if you never say fuck you?
kunaltyagi@programming.dev · 8 pts · 21h
Getting more fuck you money
CrabAndBroom@lemmy.ml · 4 pts · 16h
They're saying "fuck you" to us, not to them.
MonkderVierte@lemmy.zip · 31 pts · 1d
How's the Ass of Trump looking, Google?
Kodama@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 22h
These are the issues one can expect when one is dependent on foreign country companies for any services, it comes with their world view. Similar if you would be using services from other countries that are interested in how their image is seen from the other side.
I personally don't mind they can name things to what ever they want, but you as a user should always be aware of who is the owner of the platform and it's indirect message. I do not call Germany, Deutschland or will also have an issue with Macedonia in Greece or Nepal in China.
It is just a petty thing to do that makes that orange mandarin look like a person with huge issues that many of us left at the age of 10.
FiskFisk33@startrek.website · -9 pts · 23h
I wouldn't call this an instance of that. Trump as far as I understand stupidly but legally changed the name.
dhork@lemmy.world · 17 pts · 22h
He didn't follow any official legal process. He basically just released a proclamation, just like a King would do. He's getting away with it because the other branches of government let him.
The President, as the leader of the Executive Branch, has wide latitude over what Federal Agencies do. It's possible (but not a 100% certainty) that his Executive Order might bind Federal Agencies under his control, but certainly not the rest of us -- not without legislation that goes through the normal process. It certainly doesn't compel Google to do it. Now, Google may want to do it because they understand it can build political capital with such a small man, but that's a different issue.
He's done this before too. It's still officially the "Department of Defense", no matter how many times he calls it the "Department of War", until Congress sends him a bill stating otherwise. Same with the Kennedy Center. He is doing shit like this, with no legal basis, on purpose, to find out who is "loyal" to him.
MonkderVierte@lemmy.zip · 6 pts · 23h
How can renaming another nations stuff be legal?
FiskFisk33@startrek.website · 7 pts · 23h
I mean, you can only enforce it in your own jurisdiction, right?
Your country can decide to call Sweden Poop-land, your own localized maps will label it Poop-land, but on swedish maps it will still be called Sverige.
3abas@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 23h
It isn't...
It's shared between the US and Canada, it could just as well be named Lake New York.
From Wikipedia:
So it's a better name for sure, at least keeping the memory of the natives colonized and cleansed by the French to make Canada... But it's not like naming a lake in memory of people you erased erases the crimes...
This is such a stupid thing to spend any energy being upset over, just roll your eyes and call it wherever you want.
The empire is collapsing (thank fuck) and its citizens are upset about the name of a lake instead of revolting because they're ruled by an ultra rich pedophile class.
Yerbouti@sh.itjust.works · 7 pts · 23h
Well I legally rename the US pedonazis land. And you will be little-asslicker-1.
3abas@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 18h
I genuinely don't understand this comment... How am I an asskisser for pointing out the pedo Nazis are trying to distract you with trivial shit like the name of a lake?
Yes, please refer to the US as pedonazi land, and Israel pedonazi haven, I fully endorse that! Call them what they are, I always do.
It doesn't matter what the pedonazis say, no one seriously calls the gulf of Mexico by any other name... You need to redirect your anger at what matters, your taxes are used to commit genocides and enrich Nazi pedophiles, don't waste your anger on a stupid distraction like this one.
Edit: oh, you're just calling me a name to make me upset at calling me a name, I thought you actually had a point. Lol you can call me little fucker who licks his mom's dirty asshole for all I care... I'm not gonna be upset at such trivial nonsense.
Yerbouti@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 18h
A government controlling information, renaming things and changing history is not trivial, it's literally the plot of 1984.
And if you dont see how the most powerful corporations in the world being complicit in all of this is a huge problem, well good luck....
3abas@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 15h
You're right. This is what we should be all consumed with, this is what we should be upset about.
Not the billionaire pedophile child sex trafficking ruling class that bombs children and calls them terrorists instead of giving you healthcare, that's trivial. What you should be upset about is the same government openly "renaming" a lake in the course of a trade war with their neighboring country.
First of all, your priorities are stupid. Second of all, no, it's literally not the plot of 1984. He never claimed "it was always lake America", he just used the existing legal processes to rename it. It's stupid, it's perfectly legal, and it doesn't change a single fucking thing about your life.
Biden repeatedly lying about seeing beheaded children and spreading lies while having reporters dragged out of the press room for asking questions about him bypassing Congress to send billions in weapons to continue an active genocide is analogous to 1984. Trump raping and murdering kids and bombing Iranian school children while telling you you should be upset about trivial shit is analogous to 1984.
If you read 1984 instead of just repeating that everything is 1984, you'd quickly realize what the renaming of a lake is analogous to: the lottery, pornography, alcohol, razor blade shortage, etc. there are plenty of distractions by the party that are meant to consume and emotionally absorb people so they don't discuss actual problems, so they don't organize, so they don't change anything.
Good luck.
Edit: flock cameras are LITERALLY 1984. But you're right, we should be upset he changed what the US government calls a lake. I'm sure you spend countless hours of your life thinking about the names of lakes, what they used to be, or how many names they've had over recorded history. I'm sure every time a lake was renamed it was literally 1984 and rewriting history.
You know what was renamed to erase history? Palestine. They collected money from Americans to import European trees to literally hide over 500 destroyed villages and literally changed history books to say it was always Israel. Be upset about that, be upset that you're still paying money for that.
Lake Ontario/lake America doesn't affect your life one fucking bit.
gwulgg@lemmy.zip · 4 pts · 21h
So you understand nothing then
Mrkawfee@lemmy.world · 24 pts · 17h
Google also says Jerusalem is the capital of israel despite international law and virtually every other country designating Tel Aviv as the capital.
Fuck google.
BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today · 21 pts · 1d
Canada should announce that they've changed the names of all the Great Lakes to Canadian names, like Lake Toronto, and Lake Ottawa. Make sure there's a Lake Saskatchewan, because there is no way Trump can read or pronounce it, so that will really piss him off. Maybe he'll painfully stroke out and croak, and we can all read about it the Big Beautiful Obituary.
froh42@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 1d
No, they should find the most sorry thing of a mud puddle (preferably one in Patagonia or so) and call THAT Lake America.
dhork@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 22h
I like the idea of Canada naming the lake after Trump personally : "Lake Inferior".
smeenz@lemmy.nz · 4 pts · 23h
Nah, if they really want to get under his skin, they should rename the lakes to Lake Obama, Lake Hillary, Lake Comey, and so on.
echodot@feddit.uk · 21 pts · 1d
I thought Google's policy was that they deferred to the international cartographic societies decision on place names, i.e leave it alone, but apparently they'll just give in to an international skid mark when the opportunity presents itself.
k0e3@lemmy.ca · 18 pts · 1d
I just assumed they followed the nomenclature of whatever country they operate in.
Edit: Ah, I get it. This change is just change within the US's Executive Branch and therefore Google doesn't need to follow it at all. They're just sucking MAGA penis.
CosmicTurtle0@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 3 pts · 1d
Maybe before they needed to lick Trump's taint. They would rather get on his good side than be "regulated" to death.
sircac@lemmy.world · 21 pts · 1d
I wish Trump decides to rename something in Europe and Google complies so another jump in degooglelization takes place there..
dhork@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 22h
"NATO is a bunch of pussies! From this day forward I proclaim that the water between France and England be known as the "Strait of Ben Dover". Get it? I'm so clever..."
melsaskca@lemmy.ca · 2 pts · 21h
"...and not many people knew there was a "B" in Ben, but it's true..." /s
Kkk2237pl@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 23h
Hmm, unfortunately >99% people dont care… In Poland everything relies on us infrastructure. Government buys services from M$ or Google, when we have own european companies or it could invest in own infrastructure
kalkulat@lemmy.world · 19 pts · 1d
I'm not sure that Google could sink any lower.
neoouttotouchgrass@lemmy.world · 19 pts · 1d
it would be funny if Canadians started referring to South Canada instead of America
AzuranAurora@piefed.ca · 24 pts · 1d
Nah, that'd be an insult to our country. We need not be associated with the dumpster fire south of us.
M0oP0o@mander.xyz · 9 pts · 1d
Maybe North Mexico? Naw that is mean to Mexicans.
zebidiah@lemmy.ca · 3 pts · 22h
I thought we settled on dumbfuckistan a few years ago....
TheFeatureCreature@lemmy.ca · 3 pts · 18h
Just "USA" works fine. It's easy to type and the world already understands it means "Festering pile of shit".
veeesix@lemmy.ca · 18 pts · 1d
Makes sense as they once championed “alternative facts”. May as well live in an alternative reality.
Zugyuk@lemmy.world · 17 pts · 1d
Osmand ❤️
godsammitdam@lemmy.zip · 17 pts · 18h
So everyone's switching to foss alternatives, right?
OSM?
Spread the word, share with your friends, etc.
semperverus@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 16h
I recommend CoMaps on Android, (or Organic Maps, which CoMaps forked from when Organic started enshitifying)
Coehill@lemmy.ca · 3 pts · 16h
CoMaps is awesome.
godsammitdam@lemmy.zip · 1 pts · 15h
Curious for myself and the people on the thread, looks like it's based on OSM still. What does CoMaps offer over OSM?
Coehill@lemmy.ca · 2 pts · 16h
Well, shit.
edit: To be clear, CoMaps and OpenStreetMaps is still leagues better than Google Maps for privacy, respecting users, etc and I recommend people switch. But it’s still a community-run project which means the community needs to participate to keep it awesome.
gdbjr@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 16h
If we read the rest of that thread they are
butnot changing the name. They are adding a tag stating it has an alternate name.Edit: fixed typos.
rants_unnecessarily@piefed.social · 16 pts · 1d
Except it shows up as Lake Americas in my google maps and I'm in Europe...
khannie@lemmy.world · 15 pts · 1d
Mine has it in brackets. They can honestly fuck off with that.
Like I specifically searched lake Ontario.
Edit: if I go out of search there's no mention of the wrong name however.
rants_unnecessarily@piefed.social · 7 pts · 1d
That's how it is for me now. The actual lake was labeled as Lake Americas yesterday however, today it's back to Ontario.
pageflight@piefed.social · 15 pts · 1d
Welp, how is MapQuest these days?
Edit: Actually, looks pretty good. I didn't know why OpenStreetMap can't autocomplete an address to save its life, but MapQuest does fine. Also, Yelp review integration and I didn't see obviously sponsored chains.
No public transit directions apparently? Which would be a problem if it weren't always faster to bike than take transit in Boston.
sik0fewl@piefed.ca · 3 pts · 1d
Transit app is another option for transit.
AfterlifeAdventures@lemmy.world · 0 pts · 1d
Waze is Still correct with Ontario
ijustliketrains@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 1d
Waze is owned by Google
halcyoncmdr@piefed.social · 1 pts · 1d
Won't be for long, it's owned by Google.
NotSteve_@lemmy.ca · 15 pts · 1d
My disdain for the US and Americans finds new heights daily
Steve@startrek.website · 4 pts · 1d
Sorry
bitjunkie@lemmy.world · 14 pts · 17h
Fuck Google.
CrabAndBroom@lemmy.ml · 4 pts · 16h
I've been working on de-Googling for a while anyway, but this is definitely the last straw that's gonna get me to finish the job.
AlteredEgo@lemmy.ml · 13 pts · 19h
Petition to rename Washington into Turdington.
Puddinghelmet@lemmy.world · 13 pts · 23h
Good they make themselves even more untrustworthy, loss of value
alastel@lemmy.ml · 10 pts · 1d
At least none of these tech and finance bros and their companies who can't seem to have enough of gagging on fascist dick can ever pretend to have the slightest interest in not being the biggest scum they can.
This is so unanimous to all of them next time one of those barely sentient piles off shit escapes from the likes of stanford to make a company with a slogan of "don't be evil" or whatever not even a brain dead oyster can pretend not to know they're waiting for the first nazi boot they find to start licking.
LovableSidekick@lemmy.world · 10 pts · 1d
They should have made it an opt-in feature that only kicks in if you check a MAGA box on your profile.
masterofn001@lemmy.ca · 10 pts · 1d
Canadians: what's google?
yardratianSoma@lemmy.ca · 1 pts · 1d
I mean, I'm finalizing that data I need to preserve before I delete my google accounts completely, but it is imminent
sudo@programming.dev · 8 pts · 1d
The HOMES mnemonic is now SHAME.
(I'm sure some lib on bluesky figured this out before me)
call_me_xale@lemmy.zip · 12 pts · 1d
Alec from TechConnections beat you lol
BoxOfFeet@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 1d
Love that guy.
Steve@startrek.website · 8 pts · 1d
I hope they dont choke on maga’s dick
jpablo68@infosec.pub · 7 pts · 15h
I can't wait until donald realizes one of the 50 states is called "New Mexico"
NikkiDimes@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 3h
Yo shut up! Are you trying to get New Mexico renamed? I do not want to be calling it "New America"
vk6flab@lemmy.radio · 7 pts · 1d
Also for Australian users.
Edit: Hmm, it's the search results for "Lake Ontario" that return "Lake America" spam, the underlying map currently shows "Lake Ontario" here in Australia.
Coehill@lemmy.ca · 5 pts · 16h
Surely, the community-run, mapping project Open Street Maps won't rename it like Google did... right?... right?!?!
xSikes@feddit.online · 5 pts · 1d
What’s a google map?
goatinspace@feddit.org · 1 pts · 1d
I might be mistaken, but that's when object reference is not set to an instance of an object in F#
ChogChog@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 20h
RIP HOMES mnemonic
HAMES just doesn’t have the same ring to it.
gagcar@lemmus.org · 13 pts · 19h
Aptly, the next word I can think of for a memory aid is SHAME.
thethunderwolf@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 5 pts · 1d
ew
Axolotl_cpp@feddit.it · 5 pts · 1d
In other places it looks like it
Kodama@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 23h
Same for Gulf of Mexico (Gulf of America)
harambe69@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 2 pts · 23h
Kashmiri levels of cope
IllNess@infosec.pub · 2 pts · 1d
What's sad is this probably increased Google Map usage for people that just want to see if the name change happened.
Tiral@lemmy.zip · -1 pts · 22h
Meh, still not as bad as China. Their maps have Taiwan, Nepal, Mongolia, and about half the Pacific Islands labeled as China. But they get a free pass on everything so it's cool.