this post was submitted on 14 Feb 2025
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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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[–] breakfastmtn@lemmy.ca 141 points 1 week ago (9 children)

Just downloaded Organic Maps as a replacement. No ads/tracking plus it's open source and uses OSM. Seems pretty cool so far.

[–] LandedGentry@lemmy.zip 21 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (4 children)

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.

[–] lengau@midwest.social 10 points 1 week ago

The solution, of course, is to become an OSM contributor.

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[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 16 points 1 week ago (2 children)

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.

[–] elvith@feddit.org 47 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Register an OSM account and be the change you want to see in your local map!

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 9 points 1 week ago (2 children)

How can I be the change I want to see when I don't have the information I need in the first place?

[–] elvith@feddit.org 32 points 1 week ago (27 children)

I don’t mean that you need to enter info there that you don’t have. But - you found a new shop? Cool. Enter it in OSM. Or checking it’s correctly in OSM. Or append their opening hours to the data set or…

For some easy edits, there’s e.g. the android(?) app StreetComplete which will show „quests“ on OSM in your area to complete datasets. Like „is this street lit?“ „what surface does this road have?“, „are there board walks?“, „what’s this house number here?“, „what’s name of this street?“ and so on.

You can do such things on an afternoon stroll in your area and it will help you learn your surroundings and discover things.

[–] TachyonTele@lemm.ee 4 points 1 week ago

I'm in the us and it doesn't even recognize street names on my city. Labeling buisnesses doesn't matter.

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[–] happydoors@lemm.ee 3 points 1 week ago (1 children)

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.

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[–] RejZoR@lemmy.ml 80 points 1 week ago (30 children)

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.

[–] DampSquid@feddit.uk 38 points 1 week ago (4 children)

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!

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[–] wandermind@sopuli.xyz 68 points 1 week ago (1 children)

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.

[–] wheeldawg@sh.itjust.works 9 points 1 week ago

But they know no one will read the fine print. They'll get the news coverage they want out of it.

[–] Menu@slrpnk.net 64 points 1 week ago

Google also blocks bad reviews about Tesla Gigafactory Berlin.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/qjrBvt1bxnBTmeoU6

[–] phoenixz@lemmy.ca 48 points 1 week ago (1 children)

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

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[–] bitjunkie@lemmy.world 32 points 1 week ago

Ah yes censoring your detractors, the go-to move of someone who is confident that they're in the right

[–] kewjo@lemmy.world 30 points 1 week ago

I guess it's time to give Google campuses 1 Star reviews?

[–] ninjabard@lemmy.world 24 points 1 week ago

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."

[–] AfricanGrey@lemmy.zip 19 points 1 week ago

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

[–] lemmydividebyzero@reddthat.com 16 points 1 week ago (3 children)

One could still report other stuff around it and mention the gulf...

[–] FuglyDuck@lemmy.world 10 points 1 week ago

I suggested changing the name of Mar a Lago to Turd-o-Lardo

[–] Arghblarg@lemmy.ca 7 points 1 week ago

Yes, I was thinking of reviewing cities all around the Gulf next to annoy them ;)

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[–] SpicyLizards@reddthat.com 14 points 1 week ago

You can still post photos with comments, fyi

[–] RabbitBBQ@lemmy.world 11 points 1 week ago

Can they make Google list Canada as a state along with Greenland, then we won't have to invade???

[–] cows_are_underrated@feddit.org 10 points 1 week ago (1 children)

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.

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[–] Paddzr@lemmy.world 6 points 1 week ago (2 children)

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.

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[–] lennybird@lemmy.world 5 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (2 children)

More evidence that Corporations are psychopaths in pathological pursuit of profit, just as Joel Bakan wrote.

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[–] PhoreTwunny@lemmy.world 4 points 1 week ago (1 children)

When do we start burning data centers to the ground?

[–] Macallan@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Good luck with that. The Data centers I have been on have more security than many military bases I've been on.

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[–] samus12345@lemm.ee 4 points 1 week ago

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

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