As a way of managing disputed borders and names in other parts of the world, Google will present the official borders in the country that they are in and show the dispute in other countries. This keeps Google in good graces in all countries they operate in.
The US Federal Government has officially changed the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, so Google is implementing the same policy here.
Cool. I don't sympathise at all. They could stand but they choose to bend a knee to tyrants. It's no inconvenience to me to use alternatives to their products, as I'm sure it's no inconvenience to them that I do so. It's a peaceful solution all round.
what we have to resist here is the urge to engage with this sort of bullshit. the actual resistance is in ignoring this and focusing on what actually matters
I'm not sure if this will be effective, or if this will be the type of thing that will be swept away by a filter or AI processing, but I feel like it's right for us to push against this horseshit.
You can also give the "Gulf of America" a rating on Google maps. I gave it one star and left the comment "it used to be 5 star but new management ruined it."
Sundar Pichai , Google's CEO, sat at his desk, sipping his morning coffee as he scrolled through the Google Maps feedback reports on his phone. His eyes landed on a feedback report from Paula Kampf.
At first, Sundar chuckled at the report's absurdity. But as he continued reading, his expression changed from amusement to concern.
This user was actually trying to tell him something. That Google's search results were inaccurate and misleading. That people were getting confused between the Gulf of Mexico and the Gulf of California (not to mention other gulf-related terms). Sundar realized that his team had been so focused on pushing updates and innovations that they'd forgotten about the importance of accuracy.
He called an emergency meeting with his top executives to discuss the issue. They poured over the data, and it became clear that the problem was widespread. Google's algorithms were prioritizing relevance over accuracy, leading to a sea of irrelevant results.
Sundar knew he had to act fast. He decided to make a bold change: he would overhaul Google's search engine from the ground up. The new algorithm would prioritize accuracy and relevance, using machine learning to improve its results over time.
The team worked tirelessly to implement the changes, testing and refining their approach every step of the way. And when they finally launched the updated search engine, something amazing happened.
People began to rave about Google's newfound accuracy. The user who had posted that tweet was overjoyed to see "Gulf of Mexico" come up in the top results. Others praised the changes, saying it had helped them find the information they needed more easily.
But Sundar didn't stop there. He realized that the issue went beyond just search engines. Google's influence extended far into various industries, from education to finance. So, he decided to take a broader approach.
He launched Google.org, a new initiative dedicated to promoting digital literacy and accuracy across all aspects of online life. The program provided resources and training for schools, non-profits, and individuals, helping them navigate the complexities of online information.
The impact was staggering. Digital literacy rates skyrocketed, and people began to critically evaluate online sources with ease. Google's search engine became just one piece of a larger puzzle, working in tandem with other platforms and initiatives to promote accuracy and understanding.
As Sundar looked out over the city, he felt a sense of pride and accomplishment. He had taken a seemingly trivial tweet and turned it into something much bigger than himself. The future was bright, and Google was leading the way, and it all started with that one Feedback report from Paula Kampf.
You're gonna have to do it eventually. Take advantage of the outrage you're feeling and get it done now. Won't take long for Google to become a direct government surveillance tool.
They are too big to care about user feedback at this point.
I know for more deeply integrated people de-googling can be a huge pain, but I've really enjoyed the process. It's somehow enjoyable finding and exploring alternate solutions with their own setups and features, and settling on things that don't make you feel gross to use.
The report issue doesn’t show for me. I am sure they removed it.
Anyone saying there is no reason to push back is wrong in multiple ways. First it takes like 10 seconds to do it (if it still shows for you) so it really doesn’t hurt to try. Second, if they get millions of reports they may actually push back. Third even if they don’t push back or change it laying down and accepting what happens is worse.
I just did it and it worked fine. The reason I wrote is, “The globally recognized name is The Gulf of Mexico. This misinformation is propaganda of the United States government.”
I know it won't matter, but I sent a report about it anyway. I said that the name was changed by a fascist government for white nationalist reasons and therefore the new name is illegitimate.
The International Hydrographic Organization, there's nothing in their News about it changing https://iho.int/en/news/archive
And appears it's been called "Golf of Mexico" longer than the US has been the US.
Just weird how some felon gets to just change the names of things. Fucking "Golf of America" and "Red, White and Blueland Act"... fucking christ. Fucking hell we already had people denying being American when traveling overseas because shit was already embarrassing enough to be American