USA 🔗 Part of: Tech and Cybersecurity News (55) · 03 Sep 2026 · 03:18 GMT ·2 min read

Mapping the Dispute: Apple and Google Rename Lake Ontario Under US Executive Order

Apple Maps displays "Lake America" to users in the United States.

NEUTRALITY 84 · BALANCED· 4 sources

Al Jazeera

Apple Maps displays "Lake America" to users in the United States. This follows an executive order signed by President Donald Trump on August 27, 2026. The company implemented the change on September 1, 2026. It occurred during a trade dispute with Canada. Users outside the US see the original name. Google Maps also adopted a policy of showing different names based on location. Canadian officials criticized the change. They cited the lake's Indigenous origins.

Context

The Great Lakes, including Lake Ontario, draw their names from Indigenous languages and French colonial history. The names Ontario, Michigan, and Erie come from Indigenous languages. Superior and Huron derive from French or anglicized French terms.

Supportive perspectives

President Donald Trump signed an executive order to rename the lake on August 27, 2026. US Interior Secretary Doug Burgum confirmed that the President contacted Apple to request this change. The request was part of a broader trade dispute.
Apple implemented the change on September 1, 2026. John Ternus became the company's CEO on that same day. The company previously complied with administration requests to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. Apple also renamed the Alaskan mountain Denali to Mount McKinley following similar administration requests.
Google Maps updated its display for US users. It kept the original name for Canadian users. Both companies now show the US-mandated name domestically. They continue to use the original name abroad.
President Trump promoted the renaming on social media. He shared AI-generated images of Canada geese wearing his hairstyle. These images depicted the geese defending the lake to challenge Canada's objection to the change.

Critical perspectives

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney rejected the renaming. He stated that the name Ontario originates from the Indigenous Wendat language and predates the US Declaration of Independence.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford installed a sign at the lakeshore. The sign displays "Lake Ontario now and always" in English and French. Ford installed the sign to protest a US executive order.
MapQuest refused to adopt the name change on its platform. The company's smartphone app reached the top of the Apple App Store free chart shortly after. No source confirmed the cause of this ranking shift.
The change caused technical confusion for regional infrastructure. Agencies like Hydro One, Hydro Ottawa, and the Liquor Board of Ontario briefly displayed Lake America on their maps. These entities rely on third-party mapping services that automatically adopted the new name.