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Mexico issues legal threat to Google
- davidw 2y agoMeanwhile AP News is being hung out to dry because they are continuing to use the commonly accepted name. "Free speech" indeed.
- nobankai 2y agoThe harassment of AP and Reuters should offend anyone that has relied on their reporting before. On most topics they are the only publications I can trust to publish fast and impartial news these days.
- ljm 2y agoWhy exactly should the harassment of AP and Reuters be important in a way that doesn’t intersect with literally every other attack on the US people from its new administration? Literally every media outlet in existence pulls news down the wire from AP and Reuters before they apply their shitty editorial stance to it. Bumfuck News Arizona does not have the scoop on Trump handing Ukraine over to Putin straight from Odessa. But a bunch of mouth breathers in Texas will think he stood his ground there.
- nobankai 2y agoSpecifically because this is a harassment campaign intended to discredit America's highest-quality reporting until only the Rupert Murdoch media is left.
- unyttigfjelltol 2y agoReuters is top-shelf and neutral, but they are UK-based. AP departed from journalistic neutrality long ago.[1] They actually are among the worst journalistic offenders because of poor standards compounded by less visibility on their pervasive left-leaning bias. [1] https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/associated-press/ https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/associated-press/
- defrost 2y agoIn good humour, with no slight intended: unyttigfjelltol departed from journalistic neutrality long ago. They actually are among the worst journalistic offenders because of hyperbolic overstatement and sleight of hand misuse of references that "support" their stance. The relevant quote from [1] is milquetoast: These media sources have a slight to moderate liberal bias. They often publish factual information that utilizes loaded words (wording that attempts to influence an audience by appeals to emotion or stereotypes) to favor liberal causes. These sources are generally trustworthy for information but may require further investigation. AP is rated HIGH in factual content with a bias one stop to the left of "LEAST BIASED". Of all the biases out there this is not particularly troubling particularly as most (I would hope) are aware of it.
- unyttigfjelltol 2y agoYour ad homenim is unwarranted. Here are some other references illustrating it is widely known AP has serious problems with bias and journalistic standards. "The AP has taken flak for a shift toward subjectivity in its news reporting, not just from media critics, but from small-town communities like the one in Lufkin, Texas. Readers of the Lufkin Daily News decried a July 4 AP story about Trump’s Mt. Rushmore speech for exhibiting bias, prompting an apology from the local paper’s editor. " [1] "Honest public discourse depends on calling things by their right names. But much like the current trend at many mainstream publications and broadcast outlets, where journalists think their job is now to fight Trump and conservatives rather than just report the facts and let the people decide, the AP Stylebook has become an eager recruit for left-wing Democratic activism and the anti-Trump “resistance.”"[2] "The Associated Press has morphed into a Berkeley-style left-wing rag. The key difference is that The Associated Press plays to a global audience of millions."[3] [1] https://www.allsides.com/blog/transparency-troubles-how-associated-press-mixes-news-and-subjectivity https://www.allsides.com/blog/transparency-troubles-how-asso... [2] https://nypost.com/2020/10/22/the-associated-press-progressive-bias-is-out-of-control/ https://nypost.com/2020/10/22/the-associated-press-progressi... [3] https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/4519187-who-radicalized-the-associated-press/ https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/4519187-who-radicalized...
- ExoticPearTree 2y agoI watched the video about AP and the the WH Press Secretary, and its as dramatic as it looks: AP chose to stick to their standards, and the WH chose to stick to the fact that they can be selective on who they invite to the press conferences and who travels with the president. In the end, the loss will be on the AP and others who decide to go this path, and most importantly to their readers. The only press allowed will be the one that acquiesces to the new administration and does not antagonize it. And this will be a major loss for press in general. I wish AP would not be so stubborn o unconsequential issues such as the Gulf of America. No one really cares, its a political stunt and nothing more.
- DangitBobby 2y agoYes, it's APs fault BOO AP, any idiot knows the best way to fight the erosion fo press freedom is to give in at the slightest provocation.
- dylan604 2y agoRight, and that's "working as designed" on behalf of the provocateurs.
- ExoticPearTree 2y agoI really wish you would have read my comment on its entirety.
- DangitBobby 2y agoI did! That's how my eyeballs fell upon these words: > The only press allowed will be the one that acquiesces to the new administration and does not antagonize it. And this will be a major loss for press in general. > I wish AP would not be so stubborn o unconsequential issues such as the Gulf of America. No one really cares, its a political stunt and nothing more. They were punished for not toeing the line. You think they should have toed the line so they can keep playing the game. Like I said, everyone knows backing down when they try to force you to carry a narrative is how you prevent erosion of free press. I guess you would rather they wait for them to declare the official policy is the earth is flat and defect after that? That probably isn't consequential enough either. I have to wonder where you draw the line. It's not okay to deplatform the AP over this, period.
- AStonesThrow 2y agoThere's a stereotype of male motorists who never stop to ask directions when they may be lost. Now is that rugged male individualism, a DIY spirit, or something else? Passersby and strangers have the right of free speech, and what incentives would compel a stranger to give accurate directions the way the motorist wants to go? What also would inform the conversation with a stranger so that there is understanding and trust, assuming that the stranger doesn't intend to misdirect or beguile the motorist? Hop in car and tag along for 10 miles? The stereotype may also derive from a man's instinct to protect others. Such as a spouse and children in the car, or his coworkers, or just a taxi driver's fare. The man has taken responsibility at the wheel, and control and liability rests on him to complete the journey. A man's sense of fatherhood and spousal love--"jealousy" is a fierce force of nature that ultimately can only be tempered or quelled by feminine influence. Now take this defective "car analogy" and apply it to the US Gov, Justin Trudeau, or Mexico as you scope out and figure out what's really going on in 2025.
- dmoy 2y agoNothing new since the last one here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43085117 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43085117 ?
- bangaladore 2y agoAs much as "changing" the name is stupid, Google isn't here to pick battles between countries. Quick check shows that google.com.mx shows it always as "Gulfo de Mexico". That's all that matters.
- kalenx 2y agoIn Canada, I see the "new" name along with Gulf of Mexico. Seems like a weird take. Every sovereign island should start naming it a different way, I'd like to see if Google would display 27 names for the same Gulf...
- bangaladore 2y agoEdit: I'm wrong here. They are doing it based on IP address, not domain for some reason. https://www.google.de/maps https://www.google.de/maps will show the parenthetical only when accessing it via a non-US IP and will show just "Gulf of America" when on a US IP even on that domain. --- original --- I don't know why they decided to to do that in Canada. In the UK (for example), it only says "Gulf of America", same with Germany.
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- oaththrowaway 2y agoIsn't it fairly common to have different things named differently depending on where you're at in the world? I'm assuming that Google didn't change it for how it shows in Mexico, so why do they care so much about what another country calls it? It's stupid for it to be renamed, don't get me wrong, but the outrage about it seems like it's because it came from Trump.
- loeg 2y agoGoogle displays different names for contested places in different polities. Of course it should show Mexico its preferred "Gulf of Mexico." It can still show US users the current US name.
- afitnerd 2y agoMexico’s claim is that the US doesn’t have claim to the entire body of water. It should technically show Gulf of America at the top where the US border extends to and also show Gulf of Mexico below that. That said the whole thing is childish and stupid and a distraction from the massive grift being perpetrated on the American people right now.
- loeg 2y agoGoogle seems like the wrong entity to dispute that with. They're just doing their best to follow the map policies of the countries they operate in.
- drdaeman 2y agoThat's essentially what they did (and IIRC still do) with Crimea and other annexed territories. That's not Google's first rodeo for sure, although it can be more difficult given that their headquarters is in the US.
- chasing 2y agoI was about to call this "Gulf of America" fiasco the stupidest f---ing thing, but then I remembered everything else that's been going on...
- leptons 2y agoIt's not all stupid, some of it is evil too.
- modeless 2y agoPolitical threats over names on Google Maps are nothing new. Google has dealt with this issue over and over worldwide. Sometimes the solution is to show different names to people in different countries. I wouldn't be surprised if that's what eventually happens here.
- simondanerd 2y agoIt already does happen like that: https://blog.google/products/maps/united-states-geographic-name-change-feb-2025/ https://blog.google/products/maps/united-states-geographic-n...
- notfed 2y agoThis is a pretty ideal response by Google. Of course they'll be criticized no matter how they handle this.
- motorest 2y ago> Political threats over names on Google Maps are nothing new. Google has dealt with this issue over and over worldwide. Yes, that's why it started showing "Gulf of America". > Sometimes the solution is to show different names to people in different countries. The "gulf of America" nonsense is nonsense originating and limited to the US. Allowing this stupidity to leak outside of the US is a problem no one signed up for. Let's keep the lunacy in the lunatic asylum.
- falaki 2y agoHow much money does Google make in Mexico?
- an_ko 2y agoMore than 0$, so definitely more than they're willing to lose in a Mexican court case that costs money and reputation, especially given the local courts are unlikely to rule in their favour.
- phantomathkg 2y agoUsing this logic. I am sure the rich elsewhere can buy the Mount Denali and name it something else.
- Isamu 2y agoGoogle post about the name update: https://blog.google/products/maps/united-states-geographic-name-change-feb-2025/ https://blog.google/products/maps/united-states-geographic-n... This legal threat is interesting because in Mexico you should see the name of the gulf unchanged, and only in the US is it exclusively the Gulf of America. So I’m not sure how that would work in court. But the reality is map providers have to be prepared to conform to local rules and standards all the time.
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- emptybits 2y agoFor this Canadian user, both maps.google.ca and Apple Maps labels the body of water this way: "Gulf of Mexico (Gulf of America)" TBH, that parenthetical label outside jurisdiction or common usage seems like noise.
- ultrarunner 2y agoIt is noise. The whole thing is noise. I've never heard it referred to as the "Gulf of America" before this stupid substanceless news cycle. At first glance I don't suppose it really makes any difference if the entire continent is referred to by the name "America", but changing a name as a nod to a certain group of people is exactly the kind of empty noise I'd expect in the year of our Lord 2025. Time to tune back out.
- plagiarist 2y agoIt is to distract everyone from more significant acts of corruption. Exactly like 2017-2021 but this time with a planning committee to take advantage of the distractions.
- _dark_matter_ 2y agoYes, this. Choose one important piece, focus on that, move the needle if you can. Do not let yourself get bogged down with all this nonsense!
- dylan604 2y agoThere's the Frontline interview with Steve Bannon where he discusses the plan to hit the "opposition party" that is the media with so much nonsense because they're so dumb and lazy they can only focus on one thing. Then push the agenda while they're focused on the nonsense. Now, you have Jefferies saying they're not going to swing at every pitch and wait for the right pitch. It's all just so ridiculous it's hard to believe this is real life
- maxerickson 2y ago
- lbrito 2y agoHow long until we see "Canada (contested)" above the 49th parallel?
- cynicalpeace 2y ago[flagged]
- choilive 2y agoWhat leverage did he gain exactly?
- cynicalpeace 2y agoIllegal border crossings have plummeted to historic lows after Mexico sends 10,000 troops to the border would be one indication. [1][2] [1] https://nypost.com/2025/02/13/us-news/illegal-border-crossings-hit-record-lows-could-be-on-track-for-levels-not-seen-for-60-years/ https://nypost.com/2025/02/13/us-news/illegal-border-crossin... [2] https://www.wola.org/2025/01/weekly-u-s-mexico-border-update-a-quiet-border-mass-deportation-military-flights/ https://www.wola.org/2025/01/weekly-u-s-mexico-border-update...
- choilive 2y agoBut wasn't that the tariffs? How would changing the name give any leverage?
- ncr100 2y agoIt's not genius. It's pathological.
- cynicalpeace 2y agoOxford English Dictionary- pathological: "involving, caused by, or of the nature of a physical or mental disease" Trump doesn't suffer from any physical or mental disease, despite what many people would like to falsely claim.
- ncr100 2y agoMmm potato potato... He seems a pretty sick guy to take pleasure at other people's suffering As is evidenced by his rhetoric during political rallies especially where he encouraged the audience to beat the living crap out of naysayers, and to act cruel more often than not, and to turn conversations always towards his own relevance and to not be able to tell jokes + on and on and on. Narcissism may have exited the DSM however it's a warning sign of some pretty bad malignant behavior that this guy exhibits. Every time he rules, everyone he touches, dies.
- devindotcom 2y agoIf you read it, you find the reasoning is this: “Any reference to the ‘Gulf of America’ initiative on your Google Maps platform must be exclusively limited to the marine area under US jurisdiction,” the letter read. “Any extension beyond that zone exceeds the authority of any national government or private entity..." So the issue is not the renaming per se, but that waters previously known collectively among all countries bordering it as the Gulf of Mexico have been wholly renamed. The argument seems sound: America has no authority over waters beyond its territories, and its territories end some miles off the US coast. Beyond that border it is only logical for a company to refer to a body of water by the name more commonly accepted internationally.
- Onavo 2y agoIn international affairs, might maketh right. Rule of law doesn't hold much water if the primary enforcer is also the violator.
- unyttigfjelltol 2y agoMexico is trying to compel Google's US-based systems to display a preferred name to US users. This is exactly the same issue AP was protesting, in reverse, with the kicker that Mexico has no sovereignty over the US. So, when Mexico does it no outrage? That's just reserved for the US president?
- motorest 2y ago> This is exactly the same issue AP was protesting, in reverse, with the kicker that Mexico has no sovereignty over the US. You somehow got it entirely backwards. The Trump Administration decided it was a good idea to rebrand random geographical areas with nationalistic names and force that change upon the world. The world woke up to see this "freedom fries" nonsense forced upon them through the likes of Google Maps. In the very least, Google must not change the experience for anyone else accessing their service outside of the US. Ask yourself this: why would anyone in the world be subjected to these whimsical nationalistic banana republic renaming stunts?
- 2y ago
- mrastro 2y agoThis entire issue is a waste of time, the executive order, the GNIS database update, subsequent lawsuits, and news articles like this. How is this helping anyone? Is it a distraction for actual substantive changes (positive or negative) Trump is making?
- CamperBob2 2y agoWell, he wouldn't feel the need to distract from positive changes, now, would he?
- alabastervlog 2y agoThrowing out multiple crazy things per day to saturate the media and opposition so they have trouble resisting or reporting on everything was an explicitly stated plan by members of the administration, before the election. Sometimes you can’t come up with anything even hypothetically substantive, I guess, so you rename something that zero people wanted to be renamed.
- bawolff 2y agoThe concern would be that it normalizes expansionist rhetoric, which is very concerning for the countries on the borders of USA. Setting the information space up for future events is a serious thing in geopolitics. It is not just a distraction but can (when combined with many other things) have a real affect down the line. Its also just a giant middle finger to mexico.
- amazingamazing 2y agoAt the end of the day sadly the winners will dictate these things. If not, the territories in United States would all have Native American names (and some do, like Massachusetts).
- IncreasePosts 2y agoDo you think the Native Americans the Europeans first encountered were the ones there continuously from the time the Americas were populated? Or did their groups at one point or another conquer other groups on the land? Europeans were already on the continent when a major migration (not forced by Europeans) led huge groups from the great lakes area down to the American southwest, displacing native groups that had been there for at least hundreds of years. Native Americans used winner takes all in the same manner that Europeans did. What's the big deal?
- bawolff 2y agoYou are arguing against something the parent post did not say.
- IncreasePosts 2y agoThey didn't explicitly saying it, but the implication is that some new system came into play when they Europeans arrived, otherwise why bring them up at all? I was pointing out that it was always winner take all.
- bawolff 2y agoRespectfully, i don't think that sentiment is present in the original comment. If anything, the comment is saying the opposite. Winners write history and get to name stuff. Often names just stick even after territory changes hands, but its undoubtedly true that a lot of place names in usa & canada are in english because britian "won". If france won more things would have french names. If spain won spanish. Undoubtedly if various indigenous groups "won" than a lot more things would have indigenous names. This doesn't make indigenous people special, it makes them the same as any other nation-state type group.
- Aloha 2y agoThis is probably an unpopular opinion - but if you're going to rename the Gulf of Mexico, Gulf of the Americas is a much better name than Gulf of America. But its stupid, and Trump making a sideshow.
- kupopuffs 2y agoAmericas is a big place....
- eudhxhdhsb32 2y agoI'd say "Gulf of North America" is ideal. "Americas" implies South America, which doesn't make sense. And only "America" ties it too closely to the US. Of course the whole thing is silly and "Gulf of Mexico" was perfectly fine. And I say that as someone who supports 50% of what Trump is doing.
- knodi 2y agoIdiots do idiot things, and then the world suffers the consequences of idiot things.
- aiauthoritydev 2y agoThe kind of path US has taken, it might be sensible for Mexico to impose a fine on Google maps. We will see an increasing hostility towards American companies in other countries.
- montroser 2y agoOkay, but Google has no legal obligation to anyone here, right? They're just a private company, and they can put whatever they please on their map. They could call it Gulf of Cuba, or Gulf of Poopy Pants, and no one would actually have any legal standing to sue, would they?
- nikhilisvalid 2y agoI figure since it's a country threatening a company, any threats would be by definition legal, since the country can just change the laws to match the threat
- edanm 2y agoWait, that's not at all true. A country could change the laws, but it has to actually do that. Otherwise a country would automatically win every single lawsuit it brought forward, which is not the case. Part of the very reason we even have laws is to limit the power of what the government can do, and protect private entities from government overreach.
- Vilian 2y agoThat's only happens in a flawed government or democracy, like USA
- inetknght 2y ago> no one would actually have any legal standing to sue, would they? Countries would get all uppity about doing business in their jurisdiction if that were the case.
- thehappypm 2y agoGoogle didn’t have a real choice here. DoJ is already threatening to break them up, and an olive branch to Trump is in the shareholder interest
- whrGa 2y agoThe Don should rename the Bering Strait to "Strait of America", then build the TrumpStream pipeline between Siberia and Alaska and resell liquefied Russian gas to the EU at four times the price.
- taimurkazmi 2y agoRegardless of your opinion on this stupid naming thing with the Gulf of America/Mexico, if a lawsuit succeeds in any way it would be terrible for all international map websites. South Korea would sue over the Sea of Japan/East Sea and there would be trouble with the Persian/Arabian Gulf as well. Countries would sue over border disputes. The localization that Google Maps does allows it to be accessed and used in a variety of places. I think that’s worth protecting.
- archagon 2y agoGoogle made their bed, now let them lie in it.
- whatever1 2y agoPost war we at least had established some ground rules. Now Trump opened the Pandora box that I am not sure we can close (without a wide conflict). Everything is up for grabs! Greenland, Canada, the Panama Canal, Ukraine, the Gazan Riviera, Taiwan. It is a revisionist’s wet dream. Whatever you wish could be yours!
- rmrf100 2y ago"Gulf of Trump"
- PlunderBunny 2y agoShoutout to MapQuest, which lets you rename the gulf to whatever you want! (No one else sees this unless you send it to them): https://gulfof.mapquest.com/ https://gulfof.mapquest.com/
- Hobadee 2y agoI don't speak Spanish, but I'm pretty sure Mexicans don't call it "The Gulf of Mexico"... Probably something along the lines of "El gulfo de Mexico". Can we just localize the translations?
- stickfigure 2y agoGoogle should label it as the Gulf of Google and be done with it. I am not joking.
- jongjong 2y agoWow this is dumb. Do these people realize that the same places have different names in different languages? Don't Mexicans speak Spanish? Can't it still be called 'Gulf of Mexico' in Spanish and 'Gulf of America' in English? For example, Germany is called Deutschland in German... Yet you don't see Germans demanding that we rename Germany to Dutchland to make it more consistent... They don't have jurisdiction over the English language. I was also confused when Turkey made everyone rename it to Türkiye... I understand that they don't want to be confused for the Turkey bird but that 'u' letter with 2 dots doesn't even exist in English. WTF? You look at Google maps and all the countries use English letters except one; Türkiye. WTF? Seems like English language is being appropriated.
- wakawaka28 2y agoMexico is a country, so the new name is less nationalistic. I've actually met people from Latin America who call themselves "American" because they are in either North or South America. Besides, nobody owns the Gulf. If the US wanted to, it could easily take over the Gulf of America officially, and also annex Mexico as well.
- c0wb0yc0d3r 2y agoAnyone have any insight on why it seems Google is being singled out? Apple Maps and Bing both show “Gulf of America.” OSM doesn’t seem to label the body of water at all.
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]