UPDATE
Feb 13, 2025 5:25 PM CST
Google Maps' handling of the Gulf of Mexico/Gulf of America debate is no longer up for discussion. Google blocked reviews for the actual Gulf of Mexico after its change to comply with President Trump's naming edict, once users posted criticism of the app's change. "Posting is currently turned off," users are informed. Posts on X said that hundreds of negative reviews were removed. The most recent review left on Thursday went up a month ago, the BBC reports. Google answered that it's taken similar steps before "when we anticipate an uptick of contributions that are off-topic or unrelated to someone's direct experience with the place." Since the move, one-star reviews of the app are showing up on Apple's App Store.
Feb 11, 2025 5:53 AM CST
Monday was the day for a big change in the world of Google cartography, at least symbolically. As promised, the company officially flipped the switch on the name change for the Gulf of Mexico in its Maps app, now labeling it the "Gulf of America" for US users to comply with an executive order from President Trump. "When official names vary between countries, Maps users see their official local name," Google said in a blog statement, per USA Today.
"Everyone in the rest of the world sees both names. That applies here, too." The paper compares the situation to that of the Sea of Japan, which South Korea refers to as the East Sea. In the US, we see both names on Google Maps. (More Gulf of America stories.)
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