Google Maps blocks Gulf of America reviews after rename criticism
Google Maps blocks Gulf of America reviews after rename criticism
It controversially updated the Gulf's name for US users after President Trump ordered it to be changed.
Summary
Google Maps has blocked reviews for the Gulf of Mexico after backlash over renaming it "Gulf of America" for U.S. users, following a Trump executive order.
Critics accused Google of censorship after it removed negative reviews. Google defended the move, citing policies against off-topic content.
Mexico’s President Sheinbaum opposed the change and may take legal action. Apple Maps also adopted the new name.
The controversy adds to concerns over tech companies aligning with Trump, following Meta’s rollback of fact-checking and diversity initiatives.
Just downloaded Organic Maps as a replacement. No ads/tracking plus it's open source and uses OSM. Seems pretty cool so far.
Totally useless for me, unfortunately. I'm in a new town and a new country and the lack of information on it compared to either Google or Apple makes it something I have no reason to use.
I hope it gets better so I can switch. I really don't have a choice right now if I want to get around and just do basic things like find out what shops are open.
Magic Earth is a great companion for turn-based driving GPS. I just need these apps business search and discovery to be better. For example, it’s really easy to find coffee shops and compare quickly using google maps and it’s basically impossible on open source methods. Wider adoption should help but it feels years away for normal people with short patience to try.
I was going to mention that if you're out and about, StreetComplete and Every Door and MapComplete are excellent for gamifying casual contributions. OsmAnd has savable custom searches.
But if you're wanting to compare, I'm gussing you might be wanting more than opening hours and cuisine, perhaps reviews?
OSM community may add a locale metadata for Gulf of America for en-US.
Yes, it’s excellent. OSM will very likely accept the new name as well over time.
No. Don't give up the fight this easily. Google will eventually allow reviews again once this whole thing calms down. And that's when we strike again.
If you really want to stick it to Google, the best way to do so as an individual is by dropping their products. Better to support products/companies you can trust than to try to bully a soulless corporation into acting like it gives a shit again.
Google also blocks bad reviews about Tesla Gigafactory Berlin.
If anybody actually read the text of the executive order, they would immediately see that, unlike Trump & co. claim, it actually does not rename the Gulf of Mexico:
rename as the ‘‘Gulf of America’’ the U.S. Continental Shelf area bounded on the northeast, north, and northwest by the States of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida and extending to the seaward boundary with Mexico and Cuba in the area formerly named as the Gulf of Mexico
This "renames" as "Gulf of America" the part of Gulf of Mexico in US territorial waters. (Though how you can "rename" something which never had a specific name is unclear to me.) In other words, it is simply incorrect to label the entire gulf as Gulf of America even according to the text of the executive order. Instead, Gulf of America should be a sub-area in the northern part of the Gulf of Mexico.
But they know no one will read the fine print. They'll get the news coverage they want out of it.
Anyone else remembering the good old "do no evil" times from Google, where it actually was and enrichment for humanity?
And here we are today.
Fuck large companies, open source software is the only way forward
Always has been.
People need to stop using Google shit services. Like, seriously. There are so many other good services provided by other companies or even just people who make them for fun as a hobby.
Find me a replacement for Google Docs and I’m in.
I've been using CryptPad.fr and its ace!
I'm all for dropping Google if you can, but this is not Google's fault, it's Trump's. Google is simply abiding by its policies of showing names chosen by a given country. If you're in Mexico, my understanding is that it still shows Gulf of Mexico.
Ah, and as far as dropping Google maps... seriously, I can't find a valid alternative with real time traffic data as good as Google, free or paid, what do you suggest?
I'm in Canada and it shows me the bullshit name. The way Google correctly handles highly temporary vanity bullshit is to limit the name change to just that country's users.
I've been using Here we go for years. I think it started as a Nokia project, that spun off to it's own thing. I started using to conserve data. You download the map of your region when you have Wi-Fi, and it's pretty low data load from there, directions and traffic updates mostly. I've been happy with it for a long time. I haven't opened g-maps in ages. I know there are other options out there, open source and what not, but I never felt the need to try anything else out.
Sure, all these giant corporations have no choice but to tongue Trump's butthole.
EDIT:
Google is simply abiding by its policies of showing names chosen by a given country.
But this is specifically not the country (as in Congress or the majority of people) choosing it. This was an Executive Order because Trump hates brown people. It's also not legal.
Bull turkey.
1st Amendment: Trump can't order Google what to call any particular location. He can ask, Google can follow along (or not), and we can tell Google to get bent (or not).
In Canada it's now showing: Gulf of Mexico ( Gulf of America). Might be just a matter of time before they completely switch it over to Gulf of America.
I find Waze has better real-time traffic info. Driving time estimates may vary a bit more, but I find it to be a more than adequate replacement for most tasks.
You do have to gut check some of its suggestions, though: it seems to think some roads are slower, even when they’re not as busy, and will route around them.
Ah yes censoring your detractors, the go-to move of someone who is confident that they're in the right
I guess it's time to give Google campuses 1 Star reviews?
Can they make Google list Canada as a state along with Greenland, then we won't have to invade???
Always remember: Fascism is a feature of capitalism. In desperate times capitalism pushes facism.
Also capitalists are always gone be happy to work with fascists, because it gives them more power and money.
Fascism is a feature of being human.
Self-described communists can also fall very easy into fascism; remember the Soviets were friendly with the Nazis while they both launched imperial expansionist campaigns across Eastern Europe and split Poland between each other. Hitler and Stalin found common ground in being "anti- Western capitalism". Some historians call the USSR the "red fascists".
I think real, global communism will be the solution to fascism. It will require the overthrow of all capitalist systems.
I gave it a 5 star rating and left this as my review.
"Regardless of what a Racist, Fascist, Fear-mongering, Election rigging POS would have you believe; it's the Gulf of Mexico."
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/02/14/google-maps-political-borders/
This is not new. Google will show citizens of a country whatever that country's leadership wants them to see. Usually it's related to disputed territory from wars, but has also included whiny bullshit like this.
More evidence that Corporations are psychopaths in pathological pursuit of profit, just as Joel Bakan wrote.
Who?
I mean just watch that video of Eric Schmidt of Google that came out last year. It's pretty shocking how bold they are in their willingness to break laws and social norms for money.
You can still post photos with comments, fyi
One could still report other stuff around it and mention the gulf...
I suggested changing the name of Mar a Lago to Turd-o-Lardo
Yes, I was thinking of reviewing cities all around the Gulf next to annoy them ;)
You could also do something meaningful with your time instead.
When do we start burning data centers to the ground?
Good luck with that. The Data centers I have been on have more security than many military bases I've been on.
Just do what they did on that episode of Mr. Robot. Raspberry Pi hack to the HVAC system.
Oh I didn't know Apple is also a fuckboi.
Surprisingly it didn't make the news like when Google did it, how come? Especially with how big apple is in USA.
Apple updated it a few days after Google so there was more focus on Google. So far Apple allows you to report an issue which I suspect will be removed next week.
Google Maps is by far the most popular map app which is why it's more newsworthy.
This is pretty much the best case scenario I was expecting. Glad I had a hand in pestering them.
