1d ago

Google Maps blocks Gulf of America reviews after rename criticism

www.bbc.com 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.

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2d ago

Google Maps blocks Gulf of America reviews after rename criticism

www.bbc.com /news/articles/crlky380wd7o

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63 comments

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?

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."

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

Google mad at the public for trying to shove them off of Trump's cock hissing as they clamp back down even harder.

Google also blocks bad reviews about Tesla Gigafactory Berlin.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/qjrBvt1bxnBTmeoU6

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.

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.

This is pretty much the best case scenario I was expecting. Glad I had a hand in pestering them.

Just downloaded Organic Maps as a replacement. No ads/tracking plus it's open source and uses OSM. Seems pretty cool so far.
- I like organic maps but if you are not in a pretty densely populated area that people update regularly, you’re straight up just not going to have some things on it for years. Even in major cities you need to get used to knowing the exact address to input, as well as understand that it is not giving you an optimal route that takes into account things like traffic or road construction or other variables. It basically just gives you what it thinks is the shortest distance from point A to point B, which is more often than not not the best route.
  I like it, I use it for probably 30-40% of my navigation. But you have been warned. It’s akin to pre-loaded car navigation from 15 years ago.
- 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.
  
  Register an OSM account and be the change you want to see in your local map!
  
  Yeah I tried to get past bad naming but it's just very annoying to have all the places in your town named as if they are in the next town over the river in a different province !
- 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.
  
  Guys this isn't activism, this isn't protest, this isn't going to stop fascism. Go outside.

You can still post photos with comments, fyi

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.
- Google Maps has been hardest for me to replace. No one else seems to have the business directory aspect as good. Happy to hear suggestions!
- Find me a replacement for Google Docs and I’m in.
  
  LibreOffice has just announced a wasm port of their suite, to run on and offline...
  
  I've been using CryptPad.fr and its ace!
  
  I'm not sure that it has all the same features you'd need but protondrive exists
- 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?
  
  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).
  
  I blame google. If it takes an act of congress to rename a post office then renaming the gulf should too.
  
  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.
  
  It shows me Gulf of Mexico (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.

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.
- This is new though. The difference is, it's not being limited to citizens of one country. It's being shown globally, regardless of location.
  This is from the EU.
  
  It's not new, they've done that for other places where the name has changed. Like "Myanmar (Burma)".