Mexico is threatening to sue Google after the “Gulf of America” name change in its map service following President Donald Trump’s order.
Claudia Sheinbaum, Mexico’s president, said at a Monday press conference that Trump had only changed the name within America’s continental shelf, and not the entire gulf.
The United States claims around 46 percent of the gulf, with Mexico having 49 percent and Cuba holding the leftover area.
She said that Google had renamed the entire area, leaving parts under Mexico and Cuba now also labeled “Gulf of America” in Google Maps.
“President Trump’s decree only changed the name within his own continental shelf, which extends 22 nautical miles from the U.S. coast,” Sheinbaum said. “Not the entire gulf.”
She also showed the letter the country received from Google vice president of government affairs and public policy Cris Turner, which described the change as “consistent with our normal operating procedure to reflect on our platforms geographic names prescribed by different authoritative government sources, including where authoritative sources may differ.”
A letter sent back the next day from Mexico’s Foreign Secretary Juan Ramón de la Fuente said that the country would take legal action if needed, and “under no circumstance will Mexico accept the renaming of a geographic zone within its own territory and under its jurisdiction.”
Now, they plan to await Google’s response before potentially taking legal action.
Both Mexico and the United States have butted heads frequently since Trump’s inauguration, from tariffs to the renaming of the Gulf of Mexico.
The name change also caused the Associated Press to be barred from media events after the news outlet refused to use the new name “Gulf of America” in its style guide used by journalists worldwide.
Google was also accused of censorship after it blocked reviews for the body of water after its renaming.
For U.S. based users, the name “Gulf of America” is used in Google’s map system. Those in Mexico will still see the Gulf of Mexico, whilst those outside of both territories will see both names.
“We’re going to be changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, which has a beautiful ring that covers a lot of territory,” Trump said in January. “The Gulf of America, what a beautiful name.”
