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Google Maps Renamed Lake Ontario to 'Lake America' - But Only for U.S. Users (thedailybeast.com) 269

Posted by EditorDavid from the in-hot-water dept.
It's already happened — at least on Google Maps. Google's online maps reflect name changes in official government sources, Google posted Saturday. So when the U.S. Geographic Names Information System formally changed the name for "Lake Ontario" to "Lake America," Google also renamed it "Lake America" — for visitors from the U.S.

"Those in Canada will continue to see 'Lake Ontario'," Google said.

And people from every other country in the world... "will see both names." Though here's how it will be written...

Lake Ontario (Lake America)

"These updates follow our long-standing policy for bodies of water with names that vary from country to country, and are starting to roll out now."

Meanwhile, NPR reports that Ontario's Premier posted a billboard reading "Lake Ontario — Now and Always" on Canada's side of the lake (repeating the message in French). And The Daily Beast reports Google move has also drawn some criticism online: "Hey you gave one of the Great Lakes the wrong name; pretty embarrassing mistake so you might want to fix that," one user wrote on X...

MapQuest has said it will not be changing the name, and instead launched a new tool that allows users to rename it themselves to whatever they want.
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Google Maps Renamed Lake Ontario to 'Lake America' - But Only for U.S. Users More

Google Maps Renamed Lake Ontario to 'Lake America' - But Only for U.S. Users

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  • Different world (Score:5, Insightful)

    by fluffernutter ( 1411889 ) on Sunday August 30, 2026 @02:56PM (#66314454)
    Enjoy living in a different world than the rest of us, Americans.

  • I look forward to 2029 (Score:5, Insightful)

    by LindleyF ( 9395567 ) on Sunday August 30, 2026 @03:06PM (#66314458)
    When we can put an end to this nonsense.
    • Good luck with that...

      • Re: I look forward to 2029 (Score:5, Funny)

        by LindleyF ( 9395567 ) on Sunday August 30, 2026 @03:22PM (#66314486)
        Luck won't be required. All we need is for the Dems to avoid any major footguns.

        • Re: I look forward to 2029 (Score:5, Insightful)

          by david.emery ( 127135 ) on Sunday August 30, 2026 @03:38PM (#66314518)

          Luck won't be required. All we need is for the Dems to avoid any major footguns.

          Well, so far this century that has been a real challenge for the Democratic Party. This year they seem to be more happy to satisfy their fringe base than to assemble a slate of candidates AND a platform of policies that would appeal to the independents who will actually decide elections.

          • Now anyone who runs on a platform of "I'll undo everything the last president did" will be a shoe in.

          • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

            by Tyler Durden ( 136036 )

            Odd though that Trump can do nothing but appeal to his fringe base (one that is actually, objectively fringe) and yet still get away with it. The real challenge is for the Democratic Party to convince people to take the same scrutinizing standards they use to judge them and apply it equally to the Republicans.

          • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

            by thegarbz ( 1787294 )

            I don't think so, I think the problem is reality and sense doesn't appeal to a voting population as much as fantastical lies, obvious bullshit and a completely illusive promise of a better life while blaming everything bad on *this one thing we will fix* (which obviously isn't the cause when you think about it).

            It's a feel good message. Feeling good resonates with people (even if it vilifies someone).

            It's the "we'll build a wall and make Mexico pay for it!" What will do wall do? EVERYTHING. Keep the migrant

            • This. Ignorance, lack of critical thinking and lack of education guarantee that many, if not most, will simply believe the most convenient lie that fits their narrow world-view. Couple that with a bit of good ol' xenophobia or outright bigotry and you've got a population at each others throats because everything bad that's happening to them is the "others'" fault.

              The manipulators in power also have to constantly attack the mainstream press because the press have the power to call out the lies and they have

        • Take a look at who the current frontrunners are for the next Democratic presidential nomination.

          For that matter, look at what's going on during the current midterms. They've got a golden opportunity to make major gains ... and it's looking more and more like they're going to piss it all away.

    • When we can put an end to this nonsense.

      Tuesday, November 3, 2026 and Tuesday, November 2, 2027

    • Because that worked out so well for Uranus jokes.

    • Re:I look forward to 2029 (Score:5, Insightful)

      by LainTouko ( 926420 ) on Sunday August 30, 2026 @04:02PM (#66314556)
      For four years, perhaps. Maybe even eight. But the Democrats are committed to not changing any of the things which put the USA one bad election away from something like this. You need far greater change if you want to escape Trump-alikes.

    • Re:I look forward to 2029 (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Guspaz ( 556486 ) on Sunday August 30, 2026 @04:41PM (#66314644)

      If Americans think that the rest of the world will embrace them again with open arms just because they elect a democrat, they're deluding themselves. The damage is done, the trust is broken, the relationship and reputational damage will take decades to rebuild.

  • google has shadowbanned the US (Score:5, Insightful)

    by karlandtanya ( 601084 ) on Sunday August 30, 2026 @03:11PM (#66314464)

    Only we can see our own stupidity.

    to the rest of the world: sorry. our leaders are idiots. I wonder how much longer I will be allowed to say that ?

  • fascists roots (Score:4, Interesting)

    by OrangeTide ( 124937 ) on Sunday August 30, 2026 @03:20PM (#66314478) Homepage Journal

    Google complies because they fear being cut out of the no-bid quid pro quo bureaucracy that currently dominates all political decision-making in the White House.

    • Re:fascists roots (Score:5, Insightful)

      by fahrbot-bot ( 874524 ) on Sunday August 30, 2026 @03:48PM (#66314536)

      Google complies because they fear being cut out of the no-bid quid pro quo bureaucracy that currently dominates all political decision-making in the White House.

      To be fair, Trump is pretty capricious and vindictive when people simply don't bend to his whims. For example, today Trump says NBC’s Kristen Welker should face ‘punishment’ from FCC [theguardian.com] simply because she said his endorsements have had "some mixed results" on Meet the Press -- which is absolutely true, not all his endorsed candidates win.

      Trump “is going to loom large over these midterms,” Welker remarked on that live shot. “He, of course, has endorsed a slate of candidates in the primaries. He’s had some mixed results.”

      ... the president then took verbal aim at Welker with a social media post deriding her as the “Unpopular ‘Hostess’ of Meet the Fake Press,” accused her of “purposeful inaccuracy” and warned that she would “be reported to the FCC for rebuke or punishment”.

      The post also said that Trump hoped his appointed FCC chair Brendan Carr – and Carr’s colleagues on the commission – “take this Threat to our Country very seriously”.

      So, according to Trump, the phrase, "He's had some mixed results," is a threat to our country. /s

      • To be fair, Trump is pretty capricious and vindictive when people simply don't bend to his whims.

        It's mostly when they publicly don't bend to his whims.

        They need to be more non-committal about whether they will bend to his whims, delay as much as possible, make excuses when they haven't done what he asked yet, and stay out of the press as much as possible. Maybe even brown nose him when he calls so he forgets what he's calling about.

        You know, do the same things a grifter does.

  • Will Canadian users now... (Score:5, Funny)

    by Casandro ( 751346 ) on Sunday August 30, 2026 @03:34PM (#66314510)

    ... see the US as the "Ass of Canada"?
    https://www.der-postillon.com/... [der-postillon.com]

  • ... but doing that just for the US seems to me the most cowardly of the options: have the courage to oppose Trump and all his works or have the courage to back him because you think he's doing right. This way the people at Google come-out as rather mealy-mouthed.

  • ...would have been enough.

  • Something i wish Carney would do (Score:5, Funny)

    by haruchai ( 17472 ) on Sunday August 30, 2026 @03:52PM (#66314542)

    ...but he wouild never, is to rename one of the islands in Lake ONTARIO to Epstein Island and forcibly relocate the US Embassy there.

  • When Trump pulls shit like this, is it because polling has shown that it appeals to potential voters ?

    Or because he's totally demented and doesn't care ?

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by Sique ( 173459 )
      I guess, it's the first one. It's the strong man he is posing at. "We'll take your precious Lake Ontario as punishment!" And many of his voters like the strong man punching holes in the walls the establishment has erected - even if it is only an established name. And his voters like symbol politics, so he gives them symbolism.

      • Re:When Trump pulls shit like this (Score:5, Insightful)

        by ClickOnThis ( 137803 ) on Sunday August 30, 2026 @04:31PM (#66314618) Journal

        I think part of it is petulance from the failure of trade negotiations with Canada.

        But I propose option 3: it's a distraction. Everyone's talking about this instead of the Iran war, high prices, his family's enrichment, and oh yes, the Epstein files.

        I kind of miss the other distractions, (the ballroom, the compensation fund, the reflecting pool...)

        • This Modus Operandi was documented by the human walrus in his book "The room where it happened", where Trump purposefully created an international scandal with Ukraine just to flood the news cycle with his imbecility to request publicly a quid pro quo to Ukraine, blocking the congress approved aid, conditioning the aid only if Zelensky would send Trump dirt on Biden's son.

          The book shows the actual backstory to that, Trump wanted to flood the news cycle to cover up his daughter Ivanka's scandal in using pe

    • It's because he's a twelve year old child living in an adult body. And so are the 77 millions shitstains who voted for him twice and are still supporting and defending him to this day.

      A twelve year old child with the nuclear codes.

      Of all the potential and perfectly valid candidates for the republican presidency, they had to chose this miserable child-raping sack of pus.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by sinij ( 911942 )
      It is because Trump going to get another new cycle not talking about how badly war with Iran is going.

    • He does it because nobody in the cult has enough balls to tell him no.

  • Canada should do something creative (Score:3)

    by gurps_npc ( 621217 ) on Sunday August 30, 2026 @03:56PM (#66314548) Homepage

    They can rename things to.
    Like rename a great lake:

    Lake E Jean Caroll

  • Go to your Google settings page [google.com] and change your locale to "Canada".

    Problem solved, for now. I just have to remember to undo this when this clusterf**k is over.

  • Make it so it ONLY says lake America on Trumps phone, as soon as that gangster pedo is out of office all his assclowning will be reversed
  • It's still Lake Ontario. Google can go fuck themselves for being such knaves.
  • Canada, please put this on on some Jails that hold sex offenders

    Trapped
    Rich
    US
    Male
    Pedopholes

    Call them "The Trump Wing , bought to you by Epstein"

  • Lake Trump (Score:3)

    by aaarrrgggh ( 9205 ) on Sunday August 30, 2026 @04:46PM (#66314662)

    I think the Stickney Water Reclamation Plant should be renamed Lake Trump, as the largest pile of shit in the US.

  • Ontario is native american, not Canadian (Score:5, Informative)

    by oneiros27 ( 46144 ) on Sunday August 30, 2026 @04:59PM (#66314684) Homepage

    The Canadian province is named after the lake, not the other way around.

    Because the name pre-dates both countries:

    https://ictnews.org/news/trump... [ictnews.org]

  • Why does Google do this for people outside the US? (Score:3)

    by Malc ( 1751 ) on Sunday August 30, 2026 @05:26PM (#66314702)

    We don't need to see the American name, we all know the real name already.

    Just curious though: do people outside the UK see the French name for the English Channel?

    Trump complains other countries don't respect America enough, but then he does this shit, which just attracts derision and disrespect. He'll be dead in not many years, but we'll still be laughing at the US for electing him.

  • SHAME (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Cyryathorn ( 6591 ) on Sunday August 30, 2026 @05:27PM (#66314704) Homepage

    Oh no I just realized, the Great Lakes HOMES acronym is now SHAME

    Superior
    Huron
    America
    Michigan
    Erie

  • made a HAMES [google.com] of HOMES.
  • I get it that they don't want to antagonize their dear leader, but why does the rest of the world have to see this, even in brackets? It's not like they do that with other places that have multiple names.
  • preempt Trump and rename the oceans to "The European Ocean" and "The Australian Ocean". :-D

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