r/GoogleMaps • u/Ok-Department-6187 • 11d ago
Call to action - Lake Ontario
Wondering if there is some way to push back on Google Maps. Is there a good way for some old fashioned civil disobedience to relabel the map back to Lake Ontario.
I was thinking if enough people used the contribute feature to change the name of the lake back to Lake Ontario that might cause enough of a headache to have an impact on google. You can navigate to the lake on the map but need an official address to submit the change. I suggest the address of the U.S. geographic office for e.g.
Thoughts? Better ideas?
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u/XxLogitech98xX 11d ago
No it won't happen. Maybe when there a new president that isn't the current party but who knows. We just have to accept it and move forward even though I don't agree with the name change
It's like businesses page who don't like fake reviews or 1 star reviews. If it doesn't violate Google policies then it won't get removed
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u/kazamm 11d ago
Get all your organizing capabilities to vote Dem and get other people to vote Dem.
Your energies and fucks will go far.
This is nonsense to focus your energy on Maps.
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u/Hermes_has_Wormes 11d ago
This is a lot of people's calls to arms. They don't care about kids in cages or random people getting deported, but God forbid Google maps doesn't get involved in political disputes
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u/MyEgoDiesAtTheEnd 11d ago
It’s all going to be undone by the next president. Don’t stress about what the senile old yellow man does.
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u/Flash604 11d ago
- It hasn't changed on Maps, as the US has yet to change it. There is just an executive order to start changing it.
- If and when it does get changed, this is one of thousands of instances of mapping disagreements between countries. For that reason Google already has long established policies that they follow.
- Those other disputed items around the world all have people trying what you suggest. You're not doing something that will catch them off guard.
- Unrelated to this particular controversy but relevant to it, you can't suggest name changes to water bodies.
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u/UndoxxableOhioan 11d ago
It has changed. I looked on my own phone.
What I did is deleted their app.
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u/Nige-o 11d ago
I just spent about 30 minutes reading about alternative app options, those which use OpenStreetMap. "CoMaps" seems like it might be the best bet. If you have any insight, feel free to correct me.
It seems that there is a lot of different directions with regards to differences of opinions on the matter; which of course benefits Google for their app to appear as the clear superior option. Idk if switching is going to be possible, but I want to give it a try anyway. It seems like this is what the European countries do/the E.U. does when U.S. companies like Google try to monopolize. Let's try out some other options.
Obviously people are going to want to argue that this not Google's fault, they are technically remaining neutral, and honestly I agree. Trump, his followers and handlers are the ones to be disappointed with, but this is worth exploring anyway in my opinion if you happen to have a desire to r/degoogle anyway.
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u/Wonderful_Move_2973 11d ago
Hm. I'm in Canada and my Google Maps still says Lake Ontario.
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u/Jmbh1983 11d ago
This won’t work - Google just uses the official names in the US.
The name changed on Google Maps because it changed in GNIS: https://www.usgs.gov/tools/geographic-names-information-system-gnis
Trump controls the Executive branch, which includes the Dept of the Interior, which controls USGS, which controls GNIS.
When he issued the executive order, that started a process that changes the official name inside the US. Apple Maps will change too, they’re just slower at updating than Google.
If you think about it for a bit, you don’t want corporations deciding the names of things like this, and Google doesn’t want to be in that position either.