Google Maps Caves to Trump's 'Lake America' Demand

Google Maps has faced criticism after changing the name of Lake Ontario to 'Lake America' for users in the United States. The change, which was made in accordance with an executive order by President Donald Trump, has been met with negative reviews and comments on Google Maps' review pages and social media.

The order, which directed the Interior Department and U.S. Board on Geographic Names to rename Lake Ontario as 'Lake America' in federal records, gave officials 30 days to update the Geographic Names Information System. Trump argued that the United States had contributed more than Canada to protecting the Great Lakes, making the change amid a wider trade dispute between the neighboring countries.

However, multiple users have criticized the decision on Trustpilot and Google Maps' review pages, with some saying they had deleted Google Maps or switched to MapQuest. MapQuest, which refused to adopt the 'Lake America' name, experienced a surge in downloads and usage after the change, reaching number 4 among free apps on Apple's U.S. App Store.

Canadian leaders have rejected Trump's attempt to rename Lake Ontario, arguing that a U.S. executive order cannot determine the name of a body of water shared by two sovereign countries. Prime Minister Mark Carney said the Lake Ontario name is more than 400 years old and predates both Canadian Confederation and the U.S. Declaration of Independence.

The dispute has also drawn objections from Indigenous leaders, who called for the order to be rescinded, describing it as an attempt to erase the history and culture of Indigenous peoples who lived around the lake before either the United States or Canada existed.