Mexico has objected to Google altering the Gulf of Mexico’s identify to the ‘Gulf of America’ for customers within the US.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has stated her authorities is awaiting a second response from Google over Mexico’s demand that the tech large totally restore the Gulf of Mexico identify on Google Maps earlier than it information a lawsuit.
The Gulf at the moment seems in Google Maps because the “Gulf of America” when accessed from inside the USA, whereas it seems because the “Gulf of Mexico” when accessed from Mexico. When accessed internationally, each names seem within the format: “Gulf of Mexico (Gulf of America)”.
“We’ll look forward to Google’s response and if not, we’ll proceed to courtroom,” Sheinbaum stated at a information briefing on Monday, by which she shared a letter from Google addressed to her authorities saying its coverage on the identify won’t change.
“Below no circumstance will Mexico settle for the renaming of a geographic zone inside its personal territory and below its jurisdiction,” Mexican authorities additionally stated in an announcement.
Mexico argues that Google’s mapping coverage violates its sovereignty because the US solely has jurisdiction over about 46 p.c of the gulf. Mexico controls some 49 p.c of the gulf, whereas Cuba controls about 5 p.c.
‘Mexican America’
Google’s transfer to vary the identify of the gulf got here final week in response to US President Donald Trump’s govt order renaming the physique of water, as a part of a wider initiative meant to “honour American greatness”.
Chatting with reporters on board Air Pressure One as he signed the order, Trump stated February 9 would now be referred to as “Gulf of America Day”.
The identify “Gulf of Mexico” dates again to 1607 and is the title formally recognised by the United Nations.
After Trump’s order, Sheinbaum sarcastically urged that North America be renamed “Mexican America”, because it was as soon as referred to in one of many nation’s founding paperwork.
Trump’s govt order additionally restored the identify “Mount McKinley” – North America’s highest peak positioned in Alaska and named after former US President William McKinley in 1917. The transfer overturned the Obama administration’s 2015 determination to recognise the mountain’s Indigenous identify, Denali.
Google has stated it would additionally adjust to this order on Mount McKinley as soon as the change is made within the US’s official database.
In Google’s letter to Mexico’s authorities, Cris Turner, Google’s vp of presidency affairs and public coverage, stated the agency was utilizing “Gulf of America” to comply with its “longstanding maps insurance policies” that it applies “impartially and persistently throughout all areas”.
Turner added in his letter that the corporate is keen to satisfy in individual with the Mexican authorities to debate the problem.
“Whereas worldwide treaties and conventions are usually not meant to control how non-public mapping suppliers signify geographic options, it’s our constant coverage to seek the advice of a number of authoritative sources to supply the hottest and correct illustration of the world,” he wrote.
The identify change has additionally brought on friction inside the US.
Final week, the White Home barred The Related Press information company reporters from a number of occasions over the information company’s refusal to make use of the brand new “Gulf of America” title.
The AP nonetheless makes use of “Gulf of Mexico” however acknowledges Trump’s new identify.