JollyPieFedMexico sues Google over changing Gulf of Mexico’s name for US users
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/may/09/mexico-go…
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Good.
I'm almost totally off of google. I still have a gmail tied to some accounts but I don't use it for anything other than signing into those accounts, and I'm slowly moving them onto my proton mail.
Need an alternative for google maps for routing though
KipJayChou
Eager Eagle
It's not just a name. It's policy, it's discourse. If it was just one isolated case, Mexico would have let it go, wait for Trump to loose another election and negotiate, but this is not an isolated case, so, it makes sense to fight back and keep Trump with full hands. Also, Google are assholes.
It's like they spent a lot in propaganda to differentiate between US and US tech giants vs China and Chinese tech giants but they're essentially the same.
Changing the name is stupid, ut so is suing Google (or any other map provider). Tailoring place names to the target market has always been a common practice in cartography.
Mexico has nothing else better to do.
donApple did it too, sue their asses as well
As someone who lives near it, I’ve never heard a single person — even Trump supporters — call it anything but “The Gulf” or “Gulf of Mexico.” Google should let locals decide the name and not some effete New York dandy who has probably never even gone fishing, much less participated in the Grand Isle Tarpon Rodeo.
Soon after the "renaming," I saw some comment that just said "Finally!"
Like you, I've never heard anyone complain about the name "Gulf of Mexico," and I've heard Republicans complaining non-fucking-stop for decades, since I first began paying attention to politics as a teenager. How weak and submissive does a person have to be to take such a stupid and petty grievance, and rewrite their own mind as though they were always upset by it?
And it’s just historically ignorant and obnoxious. Basically all of the historic cities along the Gulf Coast existed before the United States. It was Spanish Florida, the Louisiana territory, and Texas when the US constitution was written. There’s a part of Louisiana called “The Florida Parishes” to this day because north of Lake Pontchartrain (which is actually a brackish estuary connected to the Gulf of Mexico) was part of Spanish Florida.
It’s just dumb and, as you mentioned, I don’t know a single person who lives or makes their living along the Gulf Coast who was calling for this. If anything, it’s a pain in the ass for them because now it’s a culture war thing and they have to be conscious that inland morons care. Like if you’re a fisherman, how do you label your catch? Even people who run charter boats out of Venice for bachelor parties in New Orleans now have to contend with this headassery when making ads and web sites or whatever.
And it’s just historically ignorant and obnoxious.
Yeah, they don't even know about the battle of the gulf in the year 1218 when the confederated mayan forces trounced the Americans in an epic cannon battle and won the naming rights.
I agree. It’s important to learn the lore before you post on any Internet forum. People are naturally friendly and welcoming and you can always ask questions but it’s just basic politeness to not come charging in talking out the side of your neck.
Fishing, a hobby reliant on both skill and luck, where practioners must be patient for long periods of time...
Yeah, I just don't see Trump doing that. Even if somehow he were roped into a fishing event, he'd probably make someone else hold his fishing rod and do all the work. He'd still take credit if that person made an impressive catch, of course. But if they didn't catch the absolute Biggliest fish? He could simply deny having taken part in the activity.
Now that I'm thinking about it, I wonder how many Trump voters would change their mind if Trump joined regular, working class people for a day of fishing. No, seriously. Although I don't fish, my dad's an outgoing fisherman, who chats up everyone with a rod out at the lake. I can imagine lots of fishers being excited to have Trump around - at first. But his boasting, his impatience, and his loud voice scaring fish could become very grating very fast. He'd probably have no idea how to hold a flopping fish, a skill that most fishers figure out while still kids, sometimes through the peer pressure of laughter... Which makes it easy to imagine Trump's illusion of "strong masculinity" shattering the moment a slimy fish tail flails across his orange face (go ahead - take a moment to picture it. You deserve a treat.) People would laugh, Trump would feel his ego bruise, and he'd react the way we all know he would - like a toddler.
Yeah, some voters would walk away with their opinions unchanged, but it would be very eye-opening for many.
I am from the Gulf coast and have always said, when describing where I'm from "the Gulf coast", but since all this bullshit I've been making it a point to say I'm from "the Gulf of Mexico", cause fuck that guy. But also it's fucking dumb, it's all just sea, who gives a shit. Next thing you know he'll be saying the "pacific of America"
Google should never have grovelled, and instead should have gone to one of the official geographic societies for correct nomenclature.
not some effete New York dandy who has probably never even gone fishing
There is no chance that Trump could outwit a fish.
This is another “freedom fries” moment.
GhostalmediaI appreciate the fact that she’s filing another law suit to eat up maga lawyers time with their own bullshit.
I hate the move to rename it as well but... Good luck with that. I can't see why any court would even entertain such a suit.
“All we want is for the decree issued by the US government to be complied with,” Sheinbaum said.
“The US government only calls the portion of the US continental shelf the Gulf of America, not the entire gulf, because it wouldn’t have the authority to name the entire gulf,” she added.
this suit pertains to google's renaming of the entire body of water instead of just the bits over the u.s. continental shelf; or essentially the u.s. eez--which is no more than 200nm from land, less where it runs into another nation's eez.
that region extends roughly due east from the southern tip of texas to 200nm from flordia's gulf coast, then south until it runs into cuba's eez where it's then split between the two countries.
But what law has been broken? Google can label it "The Gulf of Space-X Debris" and violate no law.
jago...the u.s. eez–which is no more than 200nm from land...
200 nanometres is 0.002 centimetres. That converts to 0.00078 inches (a bit over 3/4096", if you prefer fractional representation). Surely that can't be correct.
Pretty sure they're using nm to represent nautical miles..
NelotsI made the exact same mistake in my head before remembering the word nautical exists.
Sorry for being pedantic but, regardless of your misread of the nm unit, 200 nanometers are 0.00002 centimeters. 1 centi is 1e⁻², and 1 nano is 1e⁻⁹.
It’s a petty thing that eats the available bandwidth of Trump’s lawyers. I’m all for it. Overload them with court cases.
You say that but there are some political judges that would jump at the chance to win against this one though
We live in the stupidest timeline. What’s next?
Trumpifornia? Yomerica National Park? New Trumpsico? The American Ocean?
It all started with everyone applauding the “Freedom Fries”. Operation Full Stupid was initiated.
The Quuuuuillwe took deep personal offense to France seeing us for who we really are
I would like to join the lawsuit. As an American in a deeply red state, this name change had caused me emotional distress. I would like to sue the US too, for them being flat out stupid.
BlackmistWhy is it called “gulf of California”? California doesnt even surround it. Time for uno reverse
ripcordBecause it is surrounded by Baja California peninsula, for which it is named.
California was a region much larger than the state is now. Something like half is now in the US and half in Mexico.
The only option is a US state name change back to Alta California and a re-formalization of Baja California’s bay as the Sea of Cortés.
If we're going to rename it anyway, can we pick someone better to honor? Hernán Cortés was a narcissistic conquistador who destroyed the Aztec empire.
I very much agree, but that battle has always belonged to the locals. A few blogs reported that AMLO wanted an official change back to Gulf of California, and there’s no easily searched record of any pre-conquest Mesoamerican name.
Would be a power move to just have two Gulfs of Mexico
WeirdGoesPro
Rose56That's the right thing to do! International laws exist, and therefore to be used for anyone who needs it.
nuko147This is so stupid. I understand the feeling, but having "china" in it's name does not give china a right over the china sea. It is just a name. The same goes for the gulf of Mexico.
If you want to see how insane people can be driven by nationalism, look at how bent out of shape the Greeks got over a country in the former Yugoslavia daring to call itself Macedonia. People think names have magic powers, even some nitwits here in Baja Scotland.
Hate to point it out, but it's an entirely different scenario.
43 USC §364.e: With respect to geographic names the pertinent decisions and principles issued by the Secretary shall be standard for all material published by the Federal Government. The United States Board on Geographical Names in the Department of the Interior created by Executive order, is abolished, and the duties of said Board are transferred to the Board herein created, _and all departments, bureaus, and agencies of the Federal Government shall refer all geographic names and problems to the said Board for the purpose of eliminating duplication of work, personnel, and authority._
We didn't rename the Gulf, but the way its referenced from within the federal government (and its agencies) was changed by EO. Since Google is a government contractor, they're contractually obligated (and legally obligated) to follow the nomenclature expressed by the US board on geographical names or they risk losing all of their government contracts.
So did we change the name of the Gulf? No. Is it shown different to US residence now? Yes. Google additionally released a statement saying;
“a longstanding practice of applying name changes when they have been updated in official government sources.”
Deleted by author
Obviously Trump's rename of Gulf of Mexico was stupid, but this is ridiculous, how does Mexico imagine they have a right to decide what others call things?
This is stupid meets stupid.
Respectfully, I disagree. They have maps border and place names tailored for each country they deserves.
There is a single country in the world that recognises the name « Gulf of America ». Yet they show that name in all countries, wether that name is recognised or not.
As a European, I don’t care how Trump names that body of water and it pisses me off each time I see that name, in French to make it even more ridiculous.
Yet they show that name in all countries,
No, from the article this is the issue:
for Google Maps users in the United States
As a European they show both as Mexican and American in my language.
The latter is of course moronic, because as you say it is not an acknowledged name in my country, but how would you suggest it is illegal in USA?
Filed in what venue exactly.
I am curious how she can sue Google for showing the name to US users.
Because it's getting shown to those of us outside the US.
Really? Everything I’ve ever read about it says it only occurs for users inside the US. I don’t use Google services and am physically in the US (though I won’t be two weeks from now!) so I can neither confirm nor deny.
I'm in Canada
When I go to the map, I see
The Gulf Of Mexico (Gulf of America)
If I do a Google Search, auto fill shows
Gulf Of Mexico (Gulf of America)
AFAIK, only a few countries see just Gulf of Mexico, or at least did a few months ago. I know Germany and Sweden saw Gulf of America, others too. It was all over Reddit.
Can confirm the same from Slovenia/EU
I VPN out to Switzerland but have Google blocked and Apple devices, well, know my location so I’m never sure if it’s based the IP address or Location Services.
That’s pretty jarring that you’re seeing the fascist name be it in parenthesis or otherwise especially when it’s got nothing to do with your politics.
The gulf coast, I guess.
Just threw the filing in the Gulf. I guess that's effective. Maybe they'll get a favorable and enforceable response from posiden's court. The best of all the options really.
US court would throw it out immediately due to lack of standing and I can't imagine a Mexican court thinking it has jurisdiction. International courts don't do states vs companies. Despite sovcit's objections admiralty courts don't have much impact on Google. Posiden is the best option.
Good 😂
Awesome. Change it back to rub it in the orange fuck's face.
Nearly as moronic as the original name change. What a waste of time and resources.