Claudia Sheinbaum, the President of Mexico, has urged technology companies, specifically Google, regarding its decision to update its map services in response to former President Trump’s renaming of the Gulf of Mexico. She announced this on Friday.
Sheinbaum mentioned to reporters that a lawsuit has been filed against Google, although she didn’t share additional specifics. Reports from AP confirmed this development.
Google has yet to respond to requests for comments on this issue.
The reported lawsuit coincides with Sheinbaum’s earlier warnings in February, just after Trump issued an executive order changing the name during his first day in office.
Following the order, the U.S. Geographic Name Information System (GNIS) recommended that Google Maps reflect the changes for users in the United States.
Currently, maps for American users display “U.S. Gulf,” while Mexican users see “Gulf of Mexico.” In other regions, it appears as “Gulf of Mexico (USA).”
This announcement comes on the heels of House Republicans beginning steps to formalize the executive orders and rename the waters through legislation. The proposed law, known as the U.S. Gulf Law, passed the House of Representatives by a narrow vote of 211-206 and is moving to the Senate, where its future remains uncertain.
For the bill to pass, at least seven Democrats would need to support it, joining the Republicans.
Earlier this year, in response to public backlash, Google defended its practices by highlighting a tradition of updating name changes according to official government sources like GNIS. The company stated that if official names differ across countries, users will see the local official name.
Sheinbaum contends that Trump’s executive orders pertain only to areas on the continental shelf under U.S. jurisdiction. “What Google is doing effectively renames the continental shelves in Mexico and Cuba. This is unrelated to Trump’s orders, which apply only to U.S. shelves,” Sheinbaum argued in February.
According to international sovereignty data, about 46% of the Gulf Coast is under U.S. control, while Mexico holds around 49% and Cuba approximately 5%.
The Mexican Foreign Ministry had previously sent a letter to Google, appealing against the implementation of these naming changes.
In February, Sheinbaum shared responses from Chris Turner, Google’s vice president for government affairs and public policy, according to an AP report.
