this post was submitted on 13 Feb 2025
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Mexican President Threatens to Sue Google Over 'Gulf of America' Label on Maps. (www.commondreams.org)
submitted 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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The president of Mexico on Thursday expressed hope that Google "reconsiders" its decision to change its online maps to reflect U.S. President Donald Trump's claim that he has the authority to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico.

Shortly after taking office, Trump issued an executive order announcing he was changing the name of the body of water to the Gulf of America.

For U.S. users of Google Maps, the gulf was listed as the Gulf of America as of Thursday. Google, whose CEO attended Trump's inauguration along with other tech moguls, said last month it has "a long-standing practice of applying name changes when they have been updated in official government sources."

But Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum warned Thursday that her government "will file a civil suit" against Google if it does not revert back to labeling the international body of water the Gulf of Mexico.

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[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Oh, sorry. You're right. I was wrong on that point. I didn't realize it showed the sensitive label in parenthesis to others.

I would maintain the rest of the argument though, with the Mexican (and global) point of view being the more prominently displayed, there is no significant harm, and she doesn't stand to gain anything from pursuing a civil case, nor politically.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 week ago (1 children)

It's not about harm. It's about kissing Trump's ass on something he doesn't actually get to decide to stay on his good side.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I'm not suggesting she should kiss ass, far be it from me. But I still don't see a good motive for this move. A civil suit is not going to get her anything, she's just highlighting Trumps symbolic bullshit even more.

And then when the suit either goes against her or goes for her but results in laughibly low compensation because the measureable harm is not significant, then it will look like a confirmation of the power of the convict in chief.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I was talking about Google kissing Trump's ass. Which is why this is happening.

It takes an act of congress to rename a domestic post office. Google has taken his executive order and decided it's true for everyone, at least parenthetically.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

I mean sure, we could talk about Google's motivations, I'm not a fan of their sycophancy either.

But I don't think it matters. In a civil suit first of all President Sheinbaum would have to assert a tort against Google, and for that you need to demonstrate you were damaged due to anothers wrongdoing or at least negligence.

So yes, it actually is about the harm. And if that is given, then they still have to argue, that it was wrongful or at least negligent to add the "sensitive country" name of the area to Google Maps. But I don't think there are any laws that restrict Google or any other private mappers to using any source of information in particular, so that will be hard.

Of course they are morally bankrupt, but legally I just don't see anything significant happening.

And in the meantime the executive order had the intended effect of making the U.S. Board on Georgraphic Names change the name in their systems, so Google can use that as a fig leaf too