Apple has changed the name of “Lake Ontario” on the web version of Apple Maps to “Lake America” in response to Trump’s overreach for US users; a move that followed the lake’s name change in the United States Geographic Names Information System and following an executive order by US President Donald Trump.
Users in Canada will still see the name “Lake Ontario,” and users in other countries will see both names. Google also changed the name of the lake for American users on Google Maps before Apple.
Trump’s order covers only the US federal use of the new name, and Canada, international institutions and other organizations are not required to accept it. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and New York Governor Katie Hockley have previously said they will not change the more than 400-year-old name of the lake.
About 52% of Lake Ontario’s surface is in Canada, and the rest is in New York State. This move by Apple and Google has once again placed major American technology companies in geographical and political disputes between Washington and its allies.
