Mexico Sues Google Over ‘Gulf of America’ Label on Maps

Mexico is suing Google for refusing to heed repeated appeals not to label the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America on Google Maps for US consumers, President Claudia Sheinbaum announced.

She did not mention where the suit had been brought. Google didn’t respond to the BBC’s request for a comment.

Mexico Challenges US Move to Rename Region on Google Maps

On Thursday, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives passed a measure renaming the Gulf formally for federal offices.

President Donald Trump issued an executive order on his first day in office in January. He argued the change was justified because the US “do most of the work there, and it’s ours”.

However Sheinbaum’s government contends that Trump’s order applies only to the US portion of the continental shelf.

“All we want is for the decree issued by the US government to be complied with,” she said, asserting that the US lacks the authority to rename the entire gulf.

Google’s Response and Global Display Differences

In January, Sheinbaum penned an open letter to Google requesting the company reconsider its plan to rename the Gulf of Mexico for US users. In February, she threatened a lawsuit.

Google explained at the time that it made the modification as part of “a long-standing practice” of updating to reflect name changes when revised by official government sources.

It announced the Gulf – bordered by the US, Cuba and Mexico – would remain unchanged for users of the app in Mexico, while others in the world would see the designation: “Gulf of Mexico (Gulf of America).”.

Political Fallout and Trump’s New Naming Plans

The White House’s refusal to begin calling the Gulf of America resulted in a months-long battle with the White House, which limited AP’s access to some events.

A federal judge in April ordered the White House to cease excluding the outlet. Trump suggested Wednesday that he might suggest altering how the US addresses another body of water.

On a future trip to Saudi Arabia, he intends to state that the US will from then on call the Persian Gulf the Arabian Gulf or the Gulf of Arabia, AP reported.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi has responded by saying he hopes the “absurd rumours” are “no more than a disinformation campaign” and such a move would “bring the wrath of all Iranians”.