Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum accused Google on Monday of violating the nation’s sovereignty, leaving open the opportunity of a lawsuit over the tech firm labeling the Gulf of Mexico because the Gulf of America in its maps characteristic.
Sheinbaum argued President Trump’s govt order renaming the gulf utilized solely to the realm of the continental shelf beneath U.S. management, in line with a translation by CNN.
“What Google is doing here is changing the name of the continental shelf of Mexico and Cuba, which has nothing to do with Trump’s decree, which applied only to the U.S. continental shelf,” Sheinbaum stated Monday, in line with the CNN translation.
“We do not agree with this, and the foreign minister has sent a new letter addressing the issue.”
Trump’s order “solely modified the title inside his personal continental shelf, which extends 22 nautical miles from the U.S. coast — not your complete Gulf,” Sheinbaum stated.
A White Home official referred The Hill to the textual content of Trump’s govt order, titled “Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness,” when requested for remark.
In line with the order, the “Gulf of America” label applies to “the U.S. Continental Shelf area bounded on the northeast, north, and northwest by the States of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida and extending to the seaward boundary with Mexico and Cuba in the area formerly named as the Gulf of Mexico.”
Google didn’t instantly reply to a remark request.
It comes lower than per week after Sheinbaum floated submitting a civil go well with towards Google over the matter.
Google Maps introduced final week it up to date the title of the physique of water to the Gulf of America for its U.S. customers after the U.S. Geographic Names Data System made the change official.
Underneath the change, customers in Mexico will proceed to see the title because the Gulf of Mexico, whereas these elsewhere on the planet will see “Gulf of Mexico (Gulf of America).”
Apple Maps and Bing Maps have additionally up to date their programs to align with the title change.
Sheinbaum learn aloud Google’s response to a letter despatched by Mexico to reporters on Monday.
“As we first announced two weeks ago, and consistent with our product policies, we’ve begun rolling out changes in Google Maps. We would like to confirm that people using Maps in Mexico will continue to see ‘Gulf of Mexico,’” the letter from Google said, in line with CNN.
“People in the U.S. will see ‘Gulf of America’. Everyone else will see both names,” the letter added.
Mexican authorities on Monday wrote that “under no circumstance will Mexico accept the renaming of a geographic zone within its own territory and under its jurisdiction,” in line with The Related Press.
Sheinbaum stated Mexico will ship one other letter arguing the map violates Mexico’s sovereignty as a result of the U.S. has management over about 46 p.c of the Gulf, whereas Mexico controls about 49 p.c and Cuba round 5 p.c.
These numbers match these decided by Sovereign Limits, a database of worldwide boundaries.
Sheinbaum on Monday stated she would await a brand new response from Google earlier than formally submitting a go well with.
The Related Press contributed. Up to date at 12:31 p.m.
