Mexico has initiated legal action against Google for modifying the label of the Gulf of Mexico to the “US Gulf” on its mapping service. This change was made in alignment with a directive from the Mexican president.
During a press briefing, Sheinbaum mentioned the lawsuit but did not elaborate further.
This legal step follows a prior warning issued by Sheinbaum in February about potential legal action concerning the name alteration.
“We’re going to wait. They’ve acknowledged the legal implications, but we’re hopeful for a revision,” Sheinbaum commented at that time.
The Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs had earlier sent a letter to Google urging it to refrain from referring to the ocean area as the American Gulf.
This change comes on the heels of an executive order signed by Trump on his first day back in office, which renamed the northern section of the Gulf Coast to the US Gulf.
The Gulf is shared between the US and Mexico, and Trump’s order is only valid within US jurisdiction.
Mexico contends that the Gulf label should only pertain to the US continental shelf.
According to Sovereign Limits, a database of international boundaries, the US manages about 46% of the Gulf, while Mexico oversees roughly 49%, and Cuba around 5%.
“What Google is doing amounts to renaming the continental shelves of Mexico and Cuba. Trump’s orders are only applicable to US waters,” Sheinbaum stated in February.
On Google Maps, the body of water is designated as the US Gulf, with references scattered throughout its interface, despite historically being known as the Gulf of Mexico for over four centuries.
Google Maps explained that it adopted the term “US Gulf” for American users shortly after Trump’s directive, in line with governmental practices.
If there are discrepancies in official names from country to country, Google’s policy is to display the official local name to users.
In February, the Mexican president shared a response from Cris Turner, Google’s vice president of government affairs, stating the company wouldn’t adjust its naming policies following Trump’s order.
The announcement of the lawsuit coincides with House Republicans passing the US Gulf Bay law with a narrow vote of 211-206, which represents the initial move toward formalizing Trump’s directive. The legislation is now moving to the Senate.
Google has been approached for a comment regarding the situation.
