Google Maps changed the name of Lake Ontario for its American users, and the Internet is not happy.
President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order to rename Lake Ontario, which straddles the Canadian and American border, to Lake America. The U.S. Geographic Names Information System has formally changed the name of the water body.
On Sunday, Google said it was updating Maps based on official government sources, meaning US users would see “Lake America” while Canadian users would see “Lake Ontario.” Users outside of these two countries would see ‘Lake Ontario (Lake America)’.
The response to Google’s change was swift.
Some users on X called the change “pathetic” and an example of Google “spreading misinformation.” Another said it showed how weak Google was, with the way it “bowed to” Trump. Another more creative X user called the tool ‘Google Craps’.
The change also received some backlash Canadian politicians.
Stephen Crawford, member of the Ontario Provincial Parliament, said something about it Canadian government websites displayed “Lake America” because they pull map data from Google Maps, a problem the county is working to resolve. Canadian business news channel BNN Bloomberg reported that Metrolinx, the public transportation network of the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, was one of them.
“Some Ontario government agency websites pull map data directly from Google Maps. Following recent changes by Google, we are actively reviewing our websites to ensure they all identify Lake Ontario by its correct name: Lake Ontario,” Crawford said in his Sunday post.
Crawford added in his post: “As Ontarians, we will always stand up for our province, our identity and the places that define it.”
When Business Insider checked Metrolinx’s website Sunday evening, the lake was called Lake Ontario.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford reposted Crawford’s message, adding, “Make no mistake: Lake Ontario is and always will be Lake Ontario.”
In response to a request for comment from Business Insider, a Google spokesperson said that website developers who embed Google Maps on their site can select a region to locate the map, which determines how place names are displayed.
“‘Lake Ontario’ will appear when developers set their region to Canada,” the spokesperson said.
Across the aisle, the change to Google Maps was welcomed by Trump supporters on X, who praised it.
