Google is getting flak for changing Lake Ontario's name to Lake America
Google Maps has renamed Lake Ontario to 'Lake America' for US users following an executive order by President Trump. The change has sparked backlash from the public and Canadian officials who are working to correct map data on government websites.
Why it matters
The incident highlights the power of tech platforms to influence geographic perception and the friction caused when political mandates conflict with international naming conventions.
Google Maps has changed the name of Lake Ontario for American users. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images Google Maps now labels Lake Ontario as Lake America for its US users. The backlash on the internet was swift, with people criticizing Google for the change. Canadian politicians are also scrubbing their government websites that embed Google Maps. Google Maps changed Lake Ontario's name for its American users, and the internet is not happy. On Thursday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to rename Lake Ontario, which straddles the Canadian and US border, to Lake America. The US Geographic Names Information System formally changed the name of the water body. On Sunday, Google said it updates Maps based on official government sources, meaning US users would see "Lake America" while Canadian users would see "Lake Ontario."Users outside these two countries would see "Lake Ontario (Lake America)."
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