“Lake America” designations now visible on Google Maps, prompting U.S. President Donald Trump to urge Apple to do the same by default on all iPhones.
Experts in the technology sector point out a concerning reality for many Canadian users and businesses: they are essentially “tied” to these American-owned platforms, with limited alternatives not originating from the U.S.
“Canadians are consistently under the influence of American tech giants, and it’s only during controversial moments like these that we are reminded of this fact,” mentioned Anne Pasek, Canada Research Chair in Media, Culture and the Environment at Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario.
“Our online activities, and much of our connected life, fall within the realm of American corporations, hence subject to American regulations.”
Several Canadian websites, including those of the federal government, exhibited maps renaming Lake Ontario as Lake America on August 30, following Google Maps’ announcement aligning with a directive from U.S. President Donald Trump. While Google stated the change was for U.S. users only, certain Canadian sites utilizing third-party protocols connected to Google’s U.S. API found themselves affected by the modification.
Several Canadian websites, including federal government portals and major banks, have recently showcased maps with the name Lake Ontario replaced by Lake America.
These adjustments were made after an executive order from Trump instructing the U.S. federal government to officially rename one of the Great Lakes separating the two countries amidst escalating trade tensions.
Google implemented the change for U.S. users and introduced an option for non-American websites to display the original label “Lake Ontario” by localizing their maps and specifying the region as Canada.
“These modifications align with our established policy for bodies of water with differing names across countries,” the company confirmed over the weekend.
U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum informed Fox Business on Monday that Trump had urged Apple to switch the name from Lake Ontario to Lake America on its applications. Apple has not yet responded to numerous requests for comments from CBC News.
Besides offering navigation to millions of users in real-time, mapping tools from major U.S. tech companies are deeply integrated into the websites and operations of numerous Canadian enterprises.
They provide essential information like hours of operation, contact details, reviews, and other crucial data. In the background, they assist e-commerce platforms in address autocompletion and enable rideshare and food delivery apps to monitor traffic and construction activities.
“There is a noticeable dominance,” Pasek remarked. “Consumers are confined within this ecosystem.”
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Emily Osborne, a policy research associate at the Canadian Shield Institute, founded by BlackBerry co-founder Jim Balsillie to enhance public policy on technology and national security and protect Canadian intellectual assets, expressed concerns.
“We rely on American corporations like Google and Apple for various digital services and products